The Biden administration is making significant strides to push its climate agenda forward. In April 2022, the Department of Energy finalized regulations that would prohibit the sale of incandescent light bulbs.
These regulations will take effect on August 1, 2023, with full enforcement starting on that date. Retailers have already been urged to start transitioning away from incandescent bulbs and have been issued warning notices by the DOE.
According to the DOE, these regulations will save consumers an estimated $3 billion per year on utility bills and reduce carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next three decades.
Light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs will replace incandescent bulbs as the preferred choice under these new rules. However, only 47% of households use mostly or exclusively LED bulbs, according to the most recent data from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey.
While higher-income households have already switched to LED bulbs, lower-income Americans may struggle to adapt to the new regulations. The cost of LED bulbs is still higher than incandescent bulbs, and LEDs may not work as well for certain functions such as dimming. Critics argue that consumers should retain the choice between incandescent bulbs and LEDs rather than being regulated off the market.
Despite the criticism, environmental groups have praised the Biden administration for taking a stand against incandescent bulbs. Joe Vukovich, an energy efficiency advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the phase-out of inefficient old-fashioned light bulbs was long overdue.
Source https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-moving-forward-light-bulb-bans-coming-weeks