Philips Electronics has partnered with Senator Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Ill.), and the Lighting Efficiency Coalition—comprised of the Alliance to Save Energy, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, Californians Against Waste, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Earth Day Network—to propose legislative measures toward "incorporating high-efficiency lighting technologies in home and office settings." The goal of the Philips-led coalition is to encourage an industry-wide initiative to replace less efficient products that are in use, with more energy-efficient light fixtures and lamps. Philips supports the action as the "first lighting manufacturer in North America to seek a phase-out of inefficient incandescent light bulbs by 2016."
The Coalition's proposal calls for "incentives for consumers and business to purchase more energy-efficient products." Explains Philips' spokesperson Steve Goldmacher, "It's about creating performance standards, not bans." Today in the United States there are approximately 4 billion screw-based light sockets that employ "inefficient, old-style general service incandescent lights." If energy efficient sources were universally employed across the U.S. the result would represent almost $18 billion annually on electricity bills, and "more than 158 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions and 5,700 pounds of air-born mercury emissions would be eliminated."
The Coalition's proposal is still in the formative stages as Senator Pryor's office works to draft legislation in the next six months before heading to Senate Confirmations. When asked if the lighting design community at large was being consulted, no definitive answer was provided, rather it was suggested that the lighting design community would have to take a proactive stance and reach out to legislators.
