New Proposed Lighting Standards Save Energy, Improve Quality

The California Energy Commission released a final staff report proposing the first standards for small-diameter directional lamps and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Directional lamps are often used in commercial track lighting, while LEDs replace screw-based incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) typically found in homes. Prompted by legislation requiring the Energy Commission to adopt standards to reduce energy use of lighting in homes by 50 percent and businesses by 25 percent from the 2007 levels by 2018, the proposed standards will save energy and improve the quality of the light bulbs that Californians are buying every day.

The new standards will have a financial impact. For a $4 investment in the more efficient directional lamps, the Energy Commission estimates consumers will save nearly $250 in reduced energy and lamp replacement costs over an average of 11 years. The savings with LEDs are also significant and growing as purchase prices continue to decline.

In 2029, the total estimated savings for the directional lamps and LEDs standards is more than 3,000 gigawatt hours per year, equivalent to the amount of electricity required to power all the households in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties (about 400,000 average homes) indefinitely.

For more information please see the press release and frequently asked questions on the proposed lighting standards.