The rule will apply to lamps manufactured for sale in the United States or imported into the United States starting in mid-2012, and in the 30 years following that, they will save consumers up to $4 billion per year, avoid the emission of up to 594 million tons of carbon dioxide, and eliminate the need for as many as 14 500-megawatt power plants.
The new fluorescent lamp standards are extended to include two types of four-foot-long lamps, while the standards for four other types of lamps require an increase of 10%-31.2% in the light output per watt. For incandescent reflector lamps, the new standard is essentially the same as the old one for the smallest 40-watt bulb, but it requires higher efficiencies for brighter bulbs.
For the brightest bulb, at 205 watts, the new standard requires nearly one-third more light per watt than the old standard. It also sets slightly lower requirements for new "modified-spectrum" bulbs, which use a coating to achieve specific effects, such as a better approximation of natural daylight.