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Alliance Seeks Full Energy-Efficient Lighting in U.S.

The Alliance to Save Energy, in partnership with Philips Lighting and energy-efficiency advocates, has announced a goal of transforming the U.S. lighting marketplace to 100 percent energy-efficient lighting by 2016.

The Alliance to Save Energy today joined other energy-efficiency advocates and light bulb giant Philips Lighting North America in a coalition to advocate for policies that will transform the U.S. marketplace to energy-efficient lighting products by 2016.

It is the intent of the Alliance and the other founding coalition members eventually plan to expand the group to include a wide range of organizations, including manufacturers of both lighting fixtures and bulbs, trade associations, interested environmental and consumer groups and others, which they said would help to ensure successful execution of this ambitious agenda.

Once completed, this market transformation will save consumers and businesses approximately $18 billion annually on electricity bills and save an amount of lighting energy equivalent to the power generated by 30 nuclear power plants or up to 80 coal-burning power plants. In addition, energy-efficient lighting would avoid powerplant emissions of more than 158 million tons of carbon dioxide and 5,700 pounds of airborne mercury.

Members of the Lighting Efficiency Coalition have pledged to push for government and utility incentives that would encourage consumers and businesses to work to achieve this goal. The incentives will help them replace their traditional incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives like compact fluorescent bulbs, energy-saving halogen bulbs, and eventually new lighting technology such as light-emitting diodes. The coalition will also advocate for wider use of higher-efficiency fluorescent lighting in commercial buildings and more energy-efficient street lighting systems.

To back up these incentives, the coalition will support technology-neutral performance standards that will work along with market forces to move the U.S. lighting market away from inefficient products and towards adoption of these and other energy-efficient alternatives.

"The Alliance to Save Energy is pleased to be part of this new coalition committed to advocating for public policies to speed the phase-out of inefficient lighting products by 2016," said Alliance President Kateri Callahan. "The economic, environmental, and national security benefits of such a market transformation include lower energy costs for consumers and businesses, less air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and extension of our nation's limited energy supplies."

Callahan applauded Philips for its leadership on the initiative, which she said builds on similar approaches in Europe, Australia, and recent proposals in California. The Philips Lighting Company is the world's largest manufacturer of light bulbs and lighting products.

"As chairman of the Alliance to Save Energy, I am a strong advocate for innovative ways we can increase energy-efficiency," said Sen. Mark Pryor (D- Ark.). "This coalition is a great example of how industry and government can work together and benefit both consumers and the environment."

In addition to the Alliance and Philips, members of the coalition include the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earth Day Network, and Californians Against Waste.

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy, and national security.

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