July, 08 2011, 01:41pm EDT
Report: Repeal of Lighting Standards Would Jeopardize $12.5 Billion in Consumer Savings
Consumers in Every State Stand to Lose if Congress Derails Efficiency Standards
WASHINGTON
With Congress about to consider eliminating 2007 lighting efficiency standards before they even take effect, a new analysis shows the standards would save the country more than $12.5 billion annually when fully implemented in 2020.
Americans' energy costs would be reduced by an average of 7 percent or about $85 per household each and every year when the standards are fully in place, according to the analysis.
More efficient light bulbs also would eliminate the need for 33 large power plants - and the pollution they would generate - according to the analysis.
For the full analysis with state-by-state breakdowns of savings, please see: https://www.nrdc.org/energy/files/betterbulbs.pdf
"Clearly, consumers, the economy and the environment will suffer if these standards are repealed," said Jim Presswood, NRDC's federal energy policy director. "It also will send the wrong signal to the lighting industry, which has already started making better bulbs."
Several companies are already selling improved incandescent bulbs that meet the standards, which take effect beginning in January. The bulbs look, light and turn on just like traditional bulbs, but they're much more efficient. Consumers can save even more money with compact florescent (CFL) and light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs - but the standards do not ban or prohibit any type of light bulb.
Andrew deLaski, executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, which conducted the analysis for NRDC, said all states would see significant savings from the better lighting efficiency. Some states - such as New York, Texas and California - would save more than $1 billion in energy costs each year simply from better bulbs.
"The average U.S. household would save about 7 percent on their annual electric costs - or roughly one-twelfth," deLaski said. "In other words, the savings from the lighting standards would be like getting a free month without a power bill, every single year."
NRDC works to safeguard the earth--its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We combine the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.
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