The Biden administration’s final rule for LED bulbs, announced Friday, more than doubles the energy efficiency requirements for the bulbs, taking them from 45 lumens (the unit of measurement for brightness) per watt to over 120 lumens. The Energy Department has projected the rule will result in about $27 billion in total savings and prevent the release of 70 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over a thirty-year period. “LED lightbulbs, which are now the norm, will get more energy efficient and therefore use less electricity,” Andrew deLaski, executive director at the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, told The Hill in an interview. Specifically, he said, Americans will save about a dollar per bulb under normal usage conditions, which comes out to a $50 annual savings in a typical household with about two dozen lightbulbs. “It takes some time, and the reason it takes some time is LED lightbulbs last a long time,” he added. In many cases, he said, LED bulbs can last as long as 10 years before burning out, compared to the now phased-out incandescent bulbs, which typically lasted no more than a year. “Small savings add up, is the moral of the story,” he said. Read more at TheHill.com. |
