Energy-efficient light bulbs: The DOE is about to change the rules

In 2007, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act, which mandated higher energy efficiency standards in the US. The law included new standards for light bulbs that were written to spur the lighting industry out of the incandescent age and towards new technologies like LEDs that use significantly less energy. But last month, the Department of Energy under President Donald Trump reined the news standards in by limiting the types of light bulbs to which they can apply. Those revised exemptions, which kick in Oct. 7, will protect the sale of certain kinds of incandescent light bulbs that might otherwise have come off the market in the coming months due to poor energy efficiency.