Legislation + Regulation

H.R. 5325, the fiscal year 2013 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which recently passed by the House of Representatives, includes a provision–the Burgess (R-TX) Amendment–which prohibits funding for enforcement of national energy efficiency standards for certain lamps created by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The inability of the Department of Energy to [...]

OHIO: March 27, 2012. The Ohio Board of Building Standards (OBBS) has announced a public hearing on April 26, 2012 at 10AM in Reynoldsburg. IDAHO: February 2, 2012. Proposed electrical code adoption effectively killed. NEW JERSEY: January 25, 2012. The New Jersey Uniform Construction Code Advisory Board announced the proposed adoption to the 2011 National [...]

Common household lamps now carry uniform labeling to facilitate educated decisions focusing on light output and energy costs, not watts, helping consumers transition to more efficient lamp types. That’s the topic of an article I contributed to the January 2012 issue of Electrical Contractor Magazine. Read it here.

By now, the electrical industry is well aware that national energy standards have eliminated the manufacture and import of fluorescent magnetic ballasts for 4- and 8-foot standard and energy-saving T12 lamps, with few exceptions. On July 14, 2012, Department of Energy (DOE) rules regulating general-service fluorescent lamps will go into effect, eliminating many popular models [...]

This past week, a Republican rider related to light bulbs on the FY 2012 Omnibus funding bill imposes funding limitations on the Department of Energy (DOE) to enforce the light bulb standards for FY2012. While it does not repeal or adjust the standards themselves or their effective timeline, it raises numerous concerns: * American manufacturers [...]

President Obama has signed a bill repealing the 3% withholding mandate. H.R. 674, championed by Rep. Wally Herger, R-CA, and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-OR and supported by the American Institute of Architects, is aimed at killing a looming federal requirement that would have forced federal, state, and many local agencies to withhold 3% of nearly [...]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has published a webpage devoted to compact fluorescent lamps, including benefits, disposal and cleanup procedures, legislation impacting availability of incandescent lamps, and details about the new Federal Trade Commission Lighting Facts label that is taking effect June-December 2011. New FTC Label for all general-service screw-in, reflector and three-way lamps:

To support America’s transition to more-efficient residential lamps, NEMA is producing a six-part podcast series focused on the 5LS of Lighting: Location, Lumens, Lightbulbs, Label and Law. As utilities, contractors, and consumers attempt to both understand and explain the new lighting world, they can quickly learn the basics. The most recent releases are included below. [...]

Despite the uproar over the “incandescent ban” starting in 2012, consumers will continue to enjoy choice in 2012. That’s the subject of a column I wrote for ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR’s September issue. I hope you’ll check it out here.