S2794

An Act concerning incandescent light bulbs, and supplementing Title 13 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The minimum energy efficiency standard for an incandescent lamp sold, offered for sale, or offered for promotional purposes in this State shall be as follows:

(1) By January 1, 2010, for a lamp with a lumen output of between 2690 and 1490, the lamp shall achieve 50 lumens per watt.

(2) By January 1, 2011, for a lamp with a lumen output of between 1489 and 1010, the lamp shall achieve 50 lumens per watt.

(3) By January 1, 2012, for a lamp with a lumen output of between 1009 and 730, the lamp shall achieve 50 lumens per watt.

(4) By January 1, 2016, for a lamp with a lumen output of between 729 and 340, the lamp shall achieve 40 lumens per watt.

b. For the purposes of this section, “incandescent lamp” means a standard incandescent or halogen type lamp that is intended for general service applications and has all of the following:

(1) A medium screw base.

(2) A wattage rating no less than 25 watts and no greater than 150 watts.

(3) A A-15, A-19, A-21, A-23, A-25, PS-25, PS-30, BT-14.5, BT-15, CP-19, TB-19, CA-22, or equivalent shape as defined in the American National Standard Institute C78.20-2003.

(4) A bulb finish of frosted, clear, or soft white type.

An “incandescent lamp” shall not include an appliance lamp, black light lamp, bug lamp, colored lamp, enhanced spectrum lamp, infrared lamp, left-hand tread lamp, marine lamp, marine signal service lamp, mine service lamp, plant light, reflector lamp, rough service lamp, shatter resistant lamp, sign service lamp, silver bowl lamp, showcase lamp, three-way lamp, traffic signal lamp, or vibration service or vibration resistant lamp.

2. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations necessary to implement this act.

3. a. The rules and regulations adopted pursuant to section 2 of this act shall include procedures for the Commissioner of Environmental Protection to provide for an exemption from the requirements of subsection a. of section 1 of this act. The commissioner may provide an exemption only in those instances in which the commissioner finds, following a public hearing conducted no later than 12 months prior to each date, that it is not technologically feasible to serve a specialized lighting application, such as a military, medical, or public safety application, using incandescent lamps that meet the requirements of subsection a. of section 1 of this act.

b. Any exemption provided under this section shall expire after two years.

4. Within 30 days after the date of enactment of this act, the Department of Environmental Protection, in conjunction with the Board of Public Utilities, shall undertake a public education and awareness campaign to inform businesses and homeowners of the pending minimum energy efficiency standards for incandescent lamps and the benefits of using compact fluorescent light bulbs. In conducting this public education and awareness campaign, the department and board shall utilize both electronic and print media and any other methods deemed appropriate.

5. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the State to phase-out the sale of incandescent light bulbs by the year 2016.

Specifically, the minimum energy efficiency standard for an incandescent lamp sold, offered for sale, or offered for promotional purposes in this State would be as follows:

(1) By January 1, 2010, for a lamp with a lumen output of between 2690 and 1490, the lamp must achieve 50 lumens per watt.

(2) By January 1, 2011, for a lamp with a lumen output of between 1489 and 1010, the lamp must achieve 50 lumens per watt.

(3) By January 1, 2012, for a lamp with a lumen output of between 1009 and 730, the lamp must achieve 50 lumens per watt.

(4) By January 1, 2016, for a lamp with a lumen output of between 729 and 340, the lamp shall achieve 40 lumens per watt.

Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb nearly 120 years ago, and it still works much as it did then. Inside a glass bulb, electricity heats up a wire filament, causing it to glow and give off light. Of course, electrical heaters work in much the same way, and that's why more than 90 percent of the energy produced by incandescent bulbs is heat, not light. As a result, incandescent bulbs are inefficient light sources.

A new 13-watt compact fluorescent light bulb produces as much light - as many lumens - as a traditional 60-watt incandescent bulb. This means as much light, using only one-quarter of the electrical energy. Plus, fluorescents last 10 to 15 times longer, saving money on both energy bills and money for replacement bulbs. In fact, the average fluorescent light bulb produces 400% more light per dollar than an incandescent bulb.

This bill will compel residents and businesses in this State to move from old, inefficient technology to greener, cheaper, and longer lasting bulbs by transitioning New Jersey away from incandescent light bulbs by the year 2016. Replacing incandescent light bulbs with more efficient bulbs such as fluorescent lamps reduces demand for electricity.

The bill authorizes the Commissioner of Environmental Protection to provide for an exemption from the minimum energy efficiency standards set forth in the bill, whenever the commissioner finds, following a public hearing conducted no later than 12 months prior to each date, that it is not technologically feasible to serve a specialized lighting application, such as a military, medical, or public safety application, using incandescent lamps that meet the new standards.

The bill also directs the Department of Environmental Protection, in conjunction with the Board of Public Utilities, to undertake a public education and awareness campaign within 30 days after the date of enactment, to inform businesses and homeowners of the impending minimum energy efficiency standards for incandescent lamps and the benefits of using compact fluorescent light bulbs.