British Columbia and California Lamp Regulations Now In Effect

British Columbia and California began enforcing more stringent stringent lu-mens/watt requirements for incandescent lamps on Jan. 1. In layman’s terms, the light bulbs must produce the same amount of brightness (lumens) using less wattage.

British Columbia’s regulations started with 75 and 100 watt lamps this year and will cover 40 and 60 watt lamps beginning Dec. 31, 2012.

The regulated energy efficiency standards are:

General Service Lamps:

Efficacy >= 4.0357 ln (Lumen output) – 7.1345

Modified spectrum general
service lamps:

Efficacy >= 75% of the efficacy of the reference standard spectrum lamps

Clear, Inside Frost and Soft White General Service Incandescent Lamps

Current
Wattage
Rated Lumen
Ranges
New Max
Wattage
California
Effective Dates
U.S. Effective
Dates

Minimum Rated Lifetime

100 1490-2600 72 1/1/2011 1/1/2012 1,000 hours

75 1050-1489 53 1/1/2012 1/1/2013 1,000hours

60 750-1049 43 1/1/2013 1/1/2014 1,000hours

40 310-749 29 1/1/2013 1/1/2014 1,000hours

Modified Spectrum General Service Incandescent Lamps

Current
Wattage
Rated Lumen
Ranges
New Max
Wattage
U.S. Effective
Dates

100 1118-1950 72 1/1/2012

75 758-1117 53 1/1/2013

60 563-787 43 1/1/2014

40 232-562 29 1/1/2014

Minimum Rated Lifetime

1,000 hours

Incandescent lamps of 25 and 150 W are exempt from the regulation, as are certain specialty lamps.

For more information on British Columbia’s Energy Efficiency Act, visit www.empr.gov. bc.ca/EEC/Strategy/EEA/ Pages/ default.aspx.

Similar energy efficiency standards will go into effect throughout Canada beginning Jan. 1, 2012.

California’s regulations started with the current 100-watt lamp, which will be required to use no more than 72 watts to produce the same brightness, and will affect other wattages over the next three years as stated in the charts below.

Regulations will go into effect throughout theUnited States one year later for each phase.

Incandescent Reflector Lamps

Lamp
Wattage Lamp Type Diameter Voltage
Minimum LPW
Expressed here as a range for 40 W through
205W, as LP W is derived from a formula
based on lamp watts

40W-205W Standard Spectrum

≥ 125

(130V)

6. 8 X lamp watts0.27
18.4 to 31.9 LPW
< 125

(120V)

5. 9 X lamp watts0.27 16.0 to 27.6 LPW

≥ 125

(130V)

5. 7 X lamp watts0.27
15. 4 to 26.7 LPW
< 125

(120V)

5.0 X lamp watts0.27 13. 5 to 23.4 LPW

40W-205W Modified Spectrum Standards are approximately 17% less stringent than for Standard Spectrum Lamps Exemptions to IRL Standards: ▶ Lamps that are 50W or less: ER30, BR30, BR40, and ER40