Energy Act of 2007: Impact on Reflector Light Bulbs and Lighting Controls

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) includes highly publicized efficiency provisions taking aim at today’s 40-100W general-service screw-in incandescent light bulbs. These provisions begin to take effect in 2012.

However, there is another major provision regulating incandescent light bulbs—this one targeting incandescent reflector light bulbs (lamps) and taking effect in June 2008.

In short, the Act will eliminate many incandescent reflector lamp types, but multiple replacement options exist for the millions of reflector lamp sockets in the United States, including halogen, incandescent and compact fluorescent light sources.

Typical application for reflector lamps. Photo courtesy of OSRAM SYLVANIA.

HLCA recommends that consumers switch to halogen reflector lamps to gain the benefits of higher efficiency, excellent lighting quality and longer lamp life. Any incandescent or halogen choice made by builders, designers and consumers will be readily dimmable by any popular lighting dimming control or system. By matching halogen lamps to dimming, both energy savings and lamp life can be increased.

⌂ Incandescent reflector lamps eliminated this year,
with notable exemptions
⌂ Demand expected to shift to halogen
⌂ Both incandescent and halogen lamps are easily dimmable
⌂ Lamp manufacturers have published substitution guides

What is a reflector lamp?

A reflector lamp is a cone-shaped light bulb typically used in ceiling-recessed downlights (“cans”) and track lighting in the home. The cone has a reflective coating that directs the light output of the bulb in a desired direction and pattern—spot, flood, etc. More than 100 million of these lamps are sold each year in the United States.

This 75W BR40 incandescent reflector lamp does not comply with EISA 2007. Photo courtesy of SYLVANIA.

What the law says

The Energy Independence and Security regulates the efficiency of reflector lamps. Starting the law's effective date of June 16, 2008, covered lamps will have to demonstrate a minimum level of energy efficiency or can no longer be manufactured in the U.S.

Incandescent lamps do not pass; halogen lamps do.

What does this mean for consumers?

Starting June 16, 2008, manufacturers will stop making reflector lamps that do not comply with the law’s energy-efficiency standards. As retailer stocks of non-compliant lamps manufactured prior to June 16 are depleted, demand will shift to alternatives.

Consumer demand is expected to shift to halogen lamps such as these EISA-compliant bulbs. Photo courtesy of SYLVANIA.

Consumers will have several choices for replacing the incandescent reflector lamps in their home that will no longer be available. These choices include halogen lamps, exempted incandescent lamps and compact fluorescents, or CFLs.

All three are compatible with lighting controls such as dimming, although HLCA does not recommend dimming CFLs if there are viable alternatives.

Dimming is itself a “green” strategy because it can both save energy and extend incandescent and halogen lamp life. According to one study, dimming reduces energy consumption by 20%. Dimming also doubles lamp life for every 10% dimming. If a bulb is consistently dimmed by an average 20%, in other words, its life would be quadrupled.

Other options include vacancy and motion sensors. Vacancy sensors, ideal for bathrooms and utility spaces, automatically shut off the lights when a space is unoccupied, saving energy.

Typical application for reflector lamps. Photo courtesy of OSRAM SYLVANIA.

Halogen lamps provide both energy savings/longer lamp life and similar lighting quality as incandescent, and is expected to be the most popular substitute. Note, however, that a differing beam angle and center beam intensity of the lamp may subtly change the character of the light fixture. If energy savings is most important, consider new energy-saving halogen lamps before turning to CFLs.

The number of exemptions for incandescent lamps is narrow enough that substituting one lamp for another may result in less light output. However, many residential spaces are overlighted, which can cause glare, and so a lower-wattage, lower-output incandescent alternative may satisfy such applications while also saving energy and also using the lamp to direct the light output more effectively.

CFLs can provide the highest energy savings but color quality is questionable, they cannot compete in terms of light output with halogen for replacement of higher-wattage incandescents, and special CFL versions are needed for dimming. This means the lamp must be explicitly rated for dimming or it should not be dimmed; dimming a non-dimmable lamp can damage the dimmer and the lamp. In addition, dimmable CFLs may not dim all the way down to OFF, flicker at lower levels and become “cooler,” or bluer, in color tone instead of “warmer,” which is what people expect during dimming.

When replacing a lamp being phased out by EISA with a new EISA-compliant lamp, note that the character of the light source and the lighted space may change subtly in some cases and significantly in others. For example, although halogen light contains a full color spectrum, it is a crisper, brighter white light than standard incandescent light. A halogen lamp’s beam is also more focused and its pattern more sharply defined than incandescent.

Before settling on a substitute, it may be desirable to test out several recommended substitutions to see which one is best for the application. In addition, consider replacing all of the lamps in each space at the same time for the sake of uniformity.

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