Biden Administration’s Dept of Energy incandescent light bulb ban went in to effect today

Will incandescent light bulbs still be on the shelves at Uvalde’s retail stores?

by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

Image credit:  by Josch13 from Pixabay

According to Forbes, the Biden Administration’s Deparment of Energy ban on selling incandecent lightbulbs go in effect today, Tuesday, August 1st, 2023.

” The Forbes article states: “The Biden Administration will implement a ban on incandescent light bulbs starting Tuesday in favor of energy-efficient bulbs, following a yearslong bipartisan effort to phase out the bulbs after earlier regulations and standards were blocked by former President Donald Trump.”

The Uvalde Hesperian visited several Uvalde retail stores including two hardware/home improvement stores, and two other retail stores and Walmart looking to see if any incandescent bulbs were still on the shelves. Two stores had a  limited supply of incandescent bulbs although most were small appliance type bulbs. Walmart had no incandescent bulbs on its shelves.

These two key facts were listed by Forbes in the article: “The Department of Energy approved new rules for light bulbs last year that will take effect on August 1, including a new minimum standard for light bulbs at 45 lumens—or brightness—per watt, an increase over the average 12 to 18 lumens per watt for incandescent bulbs. Retailers will be prohibited from selling any bulbs—including incandescent bulbs—that don’t match the new standard, though households using any existing bulb.”

Biden Administration implements new cost-saving energy efficient standards for light bulbs

July WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today adopted two new rules for light bulbs, also known as general service lamps, that will conserve energy and help consumers save on their energy bills. The first rule establishes a revised definition of general service lamps while the second implements the minimum standard of 45 lumens per watt for light bulbs that meet the revised definition. These rules are part of 100 energy efficiency actions the Biden Administration is completing this year, which together will save families $100 every year.

Once these light bulb rules are in place, DOE expects consumers to save nearly $3 billion per year on their utility bills. In addition to delivering significant cost savings for households, schools, and businesses, these energy efficiency actions also advance President Biden’s climate goals. Over the next 30 years, the rules are projected to cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons — an amount equivalent to the emissions generated by 28 million homes in one year. LED lightbulbs also last 25 to 50 times longer than incandescent bulbs.