The Mandate

In 2007 the U.S. government passed a bi-partisan bill called the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. This ban is supposed to serve two purposes. It should assist many Americans by helping to reduce energy consumption, and by helping households save on their electric bills.

What are the rules for ban of the Traditional Incandescent Light Bulb?

There are two aspects to the new act. The first rule establishes a revised definition of general service lamp. The second implements the minimum standard of 45 lumens per watt for light bulbs that meet the revised definition.

This includes bulbs like:

• Traditional A19 bulbs
• Traditional PAR30 bulbs
• Traditional Decor bulbs

The DOE (US Department of Energy) believes this is a necessary move that will cut tons of carbon emissions and increase savings on energy bills for the consumer.  Consequently, the American economy is looking at saving upwards of 3 billion dollars per year.

“By raising energy efficiency standards for lightbulbs, we’re putting $3 billion back in the pockets of American consumers every year and substantially reducing domestic carbon emissions,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The lighting industry is already embracing more energy efficient products, and this measure will accelerate progress to deliver the best products to American consumers and build a better and brighter future.

How will the ban affect your business?

If you haven’t already started the transition, then you need to make a plan for your home, office, or venue. Starting July, 2023, you will not be able to purchase incandescent light bulbs in the United States. However, you will either want to purchase as many incandescents light bulbs you can to carry you for a while, or start to look at the alternative LED fixtures.

If you’re a church, school, production company, or theatrical venue still using incandescent fixtures, such as PARs and Source 4 LEKO’s, you need to create a plan with a trusted technology partner to transition to LED fixtures at some point. However, you can still find HPL and VL1k stage or the like bulbs here.