Department of Energy proposes more efficient light bulbs

The Department of Energy has proposed strengthening efficiency standards for light bulbs.

The proposed standard would require most common light bulbs to produce about 125 lumens per watt, up from the existing requirement of 45 lumens per watt. A common “60-watt equivalent” bulb would need to use no more than 6.5 watts. Many of today’s LED bulbs use 9 or 10 watts, while many compact fluorescents use about 13 watts.

If finalized, the standard would save consumers $20 billion, cumulatively, and avert 131 million metric tons of carbon emissions over 30 years, according to estimates by the agency.