Electrical Manufacturers Ask California Energy Commission to Nix Proposed Color Requirements for LED Bulbs

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) called on the California Energy Commission (CEC) today to ensure that California consumers have access to the most efficient, cost-effective, and preferred LED bulbs currently on the market. A proposal under consideration at the CEC that could be voted on as early as January 13, 2016, would reverse that trend with specific color requirements for LED lightbulbs, NEMA asserted in comments to the CEC earlier this month.

"While urging the CEC to revise proposed energy-efficiency targets for decorative, reflector, and directional LED lights, NEMA agrees that the CEC-proposed starting energy-efficiency target for omnidirectional LED bulbs is aggressive but nevertheless achievable. However, the proposed CEC color specifications for LED bulbs go too far," said NEMA President & CEO Kevin Cosgriff. "Neither consumers nor manufacturers will benefit from the heavy hand of unnecessary, over-prescriptive regulation that forces California consumers to buy more expensive, less efficient LEDs. The energy-efficiency targets for each type of LED bulb must strike the appropriate balance between efficiency, product availability, and consumer cost."

If the regulations are adopted without the NEMA proposed revisions, California consumers will have fewer LED options, and LEDs will be noticeably more expensive and less energy-efficient than other lighting options, which will undermine California's energy-efficiency objectives. "LED lighting is still early in a technology transformation that promises many benefits to consumers in California and elsewhere in the United States, and that innovation has rapidly delivered quality products at lower prices," said Cosgriff. "The CEC should not assume that one color specification suits all. Consumers deserve choices, and they should expect their government to assist in making them available."

Refer to NEMA's fact sheet for more information on the proposed specifications.

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) represents nearly 400 electrical, medical imaging, and radiation therapy manufacturers on the forefront of electrical safety, reliability, resilience, efficiency, and energy security. Our combined industries account for more than 400,000 American jobs and more than 7,000 facilities across the U.S. Domestic production exceeds $117 billion per year.

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SOURCE National Electrical Manufacturers Association