The Trump administration has blocked energy-saving standards on light bulbs that were scheduled to go into effect January 1. The action defies a bipartisan 2007 law passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush. “The action will increase consumer utility bills and worsen the carbon pollution driving climate change,” according to a news release from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
The standards would have required everyday bulbs to use 65% less energy than regular incandescent bulbs. “Taking into account all bulb shapes and types commonly used in homes, incandescent bulbs comprise almost half of today’s U.S. bulb sales, which would have changed with the standard,” the news release says.
Almost 1.5 billion light bulb sockets nationally still contain an inefficient incandescent or halogen light bulb. Incandescent halogen bulbs use four times more power than LED bulbs, and still represent a large share of the market.
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