The answer to that question is yes, if the California Energy Commission (CEC) has anything to do with it. The Sacramento-based CEC is proposing this because it believes that it will potentially result in a saving in energy expenditure of over $4 billion over the next 13 years.  Apart from the financial incentive, there is also the green aspect.  Should this initiative go ahead, there will also be a substantial decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.

According to CEC’s Energy Efficiency Leader and Commissioner, Andrew McAllister, “Replacing inefficient, energy-wasting light bulbs with more efficient ones is one of the easiest ways to save money and help California reach its energy goals. Although both small-diameter directional lamps and LEDs have the potential to save significant amounts of energy, there are no federal or state standards for either.”

This argument has been supported by many others as well.  For example, as an article in LED Luxor stated, “By far the most energy efficient, the cleanest and most eco-friendly way of illumination is LED lighting, which is basically digital light and comes with a multitude of amazing benefits.”  The article then listed these as: long life, energy efficiency, ecology friendly, durable quality, zero UV missions, operational irrespective of heat or cold, light dispersal, instant lighting and frequent switching, and low voltage.

One argument against making this switch is that they are quite pricey. Given that a regular bulb for the home is priced between $5 and $10, people might not necessarily want to spend $20.  But that argument – while it may have been relevant some years ago when people first started switching over to these bulbs – is actually no longer all that relevant.  These days one can get LED bulbs for less than $10 and some even retail at less than $3.

There are a few additional aspects to understand about this proposal.  First, that if approved, it will be a two-tiered process, with starting date in 2017 and an end date in 2019.  And second, the CEC believes that directional lamps would only increase in price by $1.50 but it has an average lifetime.  This results in an average lifetime savings of close to $8.