Congress Passes BRIGHT Act Requiring Federal Buildings To Procure Efficient Lighting

Both houses of Congress have passed The BRIGHT Act to ensure federal buildings utilize energy-efficient lighting. The House passed the bill on September 14, 2022, and the Senate passed the bill on March 30, 2022. The bill still requires the signature of President Biden before it becomes law.

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The bill was sponsored by Senator Gary Peters (D-Michigan). Currently, there is no legal guidance in the federal government to maximize long-term cost and energy savings across lighting products. The bipartisan Bulb Replacement Improving Government with High-Efficiency Technology (BRIGHT) Act requires the GSA Administrator to ensure that public buildings are using the most life-cycle cost-effective and energy-efficient technology to the extent practicable when performing normal maintenance, altering, or constructing public buildings. The bill also requires GSA to issue guidance to federal agencies and state, local, and Tribal entities to further streamline efficiency and effectiveness across government. GSA previously released a series of reports that calculated that switching to LED lighting would result in millions of dollars in cost savings due to their superior lifespan and energy efficiency.

Full legislative language for the bill is available here.

David Shiller

David Shiller is the Publisher of LightNOW, and Senior Business Development Consultant at Capacity Consulting, a North American consulting firm providing business development services to advanced lighting manufacturers. The ALA awarded David the Pillar of the Industry Award. David has been co-chair of the ALA’s Engineering Committee since 2010. David established MaxLite’s OEM component sales into a multi-million dollar division. He invented GU24 lamps while leading ENERGY STAR lighting programs for the US EPA. David has been published in leading lighting publications, including LD+A, enLIGHTenment Magazine, LEDs Magazine, and more.

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