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General Service Incandescent Lamps

Last Updated: October 2007
See the federal standards main page to view current status

General service incandescent lamps are the familiar pear-shaped light bulbs found throughout most homes in the United States. These products commonly come in 40, 60, 75, 100, and 150 watt sizes, but often slightly lower wattage "energy-saving products" (e.g., 34, 52, 67, 90, and 135 watts) are available. Some of these lower-wattage products have improved fill gases or other improvements so that they produce the same amount of light as their higher-wattage cousins.

The Energy Policy Act of 1992 directed DOE to set standards for general service incandescent lamps.  DOE did not act for many years, but in 2006 began a rulemaking to consider such standards.  The rulemaking is scheduled to be completed in June 2009. Several states have also worked on general service incandescent lamp standards.  In 2004, California set standards for these products, effective January 2006 (modest standards) and January 2008 (somewhat stronger standards).  The standards are designed to reduce lamp wattage by about 5% relative to typical products on the market.

In early 2007, Philips Lighting began advocating for significantly higher standards on general service incandescent lamps, ultimately being joined by other major manufacturers.  This activity precipitated standards adopted by the state of Nevada and standards proposals pending in Australia, Canada and Europe as well as several other U.S. states.

• Federal Documentation (DOE Web site)

Update
The 2007 Energy Bill raised standards for common light bulbs (known as "lamps" in the lighting trade) requiring them to use about 25-30% less energy than today's most common incandescent light bulbs by 2012-2014 (phasing in over several years) and at least 60% less energy by 2020. For more information, click here. (February 2008)