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WASHINGTON, DC – One landmark development in an otherwise disappointing energy bill are the provisions for the phase out of the 125 year old Thomas Edison incandescent bulb. The energy bill contains light bulb efficiency performance standards that will phase out the traditional incandescent light bulb, saving consumers more than $40 billion in energy costs. The phase out will eliminate the need for at least 12-15 new coal-fired power plants, a top priority for Earth Day Network and much of the environmental community.
“The lighting section of the energy bill is a bright light in an otherwise underachieving piece of legislation,” said EDN President Kathleen Rogers. “Along with the requirement that automobile fleets average 35 miles per gallon and building efficiency improvements, Congress took a very modest step in the right direction, but sold out to the oil and gas industries by approving huge subsidies to companies that are experiencing record profits.“
The energy bill, which was signed y President Bush this morning, requires that by 2012 to 2014, all light bulbs must use 25% to 30% less energy than they do today. Traditional incandescent light bulbs use almost 90% of the energy they use to produce heat, not light. The phase-in will start with 100-watt bulbs in 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in 2014. By 2020, bulbs must be 70% more efficient.
Compact fluorescent bulbs already meet that efficiency standard, and last at least five to ten times longer than Thomas Edison’s bulbs. While the cost is higher, consumer can expect to save money even over the short term. Consumers will see other technologies competing for their dollars almost immediately, as halogen bulbs and LEDs (light emitting diodes) hit the market.
The United States joins Australia, Ireland, and other countries that are phasing out the incandescent bulb. The legislation also allows California and Nevada to maintain their more progressive laws that require a faster phase out of the bulb instead of pre-empting their right. Preservation of these laws was an important victory in the ongoing battle to allow states to act more stringently than the federal government in the environmental arena.
“The American public can choose to push industry to act even faster than Congress by rewarding those companies with the most efficient bulbs available today with their business,” Rogers added. “Once Congress senses the tide of public opinion and action supporting swifter solutions to climate change, it is more likely to increase the pressure on other industries contributing to the problem.”
In March 2007 Earth Day Network joined with industry and a handful of environmental organizations to craft a legislative effort to phase out the bulb. EDN also launched Project Switch to harness the buying power and political determination of thousands of grassroots partners around the world. Through this initiative, thousands of individuals and households from around the world have replaced their inefficient incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving ones.
About Earth Day Network
Earth Day Network, www.earthday.net, seeks to grow and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable planet. It pursues these goals through education, politics, cultural events, and consumer activism. Current grassroots programs include the Climate Change Solutions Campaign, Campaign for Communities, and the National Civic Education Project. Earth Day Network works with more than 25,000 K-12 teachers in the United States alone. In 2006, EDN launched Earth Day Television, greatly expanding its reach to a global network of more than 17,000 partners and organizations in 174 countries. More than 1 billion people participated in Earth Day 2007 civic activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world.
The 39th Earth Day will be celebrated on April 22, 2008.
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