Seattle City Light is supportive of the NW Energy Coalition's efforts to keep Congress from repealing light bulb efficiency standards. Seattle City Light supports the NW Energy Coalition’s efforts to keep Congress from repealing light bulb efficiency standards.
The House plans to vote as soon as Monday, July 11, to repeal national energy efficiency standards for light bulbs. These standards will save consumers more than $10 billion a year and avoid about 100 million tons of global warming pollution, equal to the annual pollution of more than 14 million cars.
If Congress passes the proposed “Better Use of Light Bulbs (BULB) Act” (H.R. 91), it would repeal a requirement that new bulbs use 25 to30 percent less energy than conventional bulbs starting in 2012. For American families, that means an extra $50 to $100 a year in savings on their electric bills.
Proponents of the repeal falsely claim that the standards ban incandescent bulbs. They do not. Major lighting manufacturers already sell new energy-efficient incandescent bulbs that meet the 2012 standards. These bulbs look and perform just like conventional incandescent bulbs, but greatly improve on old bulbs’ 125-year-old technology.
Lighting manufacturers also oppose the repeal because they have already spent millions of dollars to re-tool their factories to meet the standards. That is why all the leading lighting manufacturers have publicly expressed their support for maintaining the lighting standards.
You can learn more about this issue by visiting the NW Energy Coalition’s website.
As a citizen-owner of your Seattle City Light, we encourage you to take an informed and proactive role.