by Brianna Crandall — March 3, 2014—Facilities managers should soon see the effects of new efficiency standards that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced in recent weeks. The standards cover external power supplies, which are used in electronics, and metal halide lamp fixtures, which are used in parking lots and streets, flood lighting, athletic facilities, big-box stores and warehouses.
The new efficiency standards for external power supplies are expected to help cut carbon pollution by nearly 47 million metric tons over the next 30 years—equivalent to the annual electricity use of 6.5 million homes—and save families and businesses nearly $4 billion on energy bills.
External power supplies are used in hundreds of types of electronics and consumer products, including cell phones, tablets, laptops, video game consoles and power tools, to convert power from a wall outlet into lower voltages, explains DOE. More than 300 million external power supplies are shipped in the United States each year. These numbers are expected to continue growing as consumers and businesses purchase new types of personal electronics.
The efficiency standards established on February 3 will update 2007 standards for Class A external power supplies to make these components up to 33 percent more efficient. The final rule also establishes efficiency standards for non-Class A external power supplies, which go beyond Class A components to convert to multiple voltages at the same time, output more than 250 watts, or provide power to a motor-operated product.
The new energy efficiency standards for metal halide lamp fixtures will update the 2007 standards for the fixtures. The new standards are expected to help reduce harmful carbon pollution by up to 28 million metric tons over 30 years—equivalent to the annual electricity use of 3.9 million homes—and save consumers more than $1.1 billion on their energy bills.
Metal halide lamp fixtures include the ballast that starts and regulates the electrical current for these lighting systems. They are commonly used for parking lots and streets, flood lighting, athletic facilities, big-box stores and warehouses. On average, one metal halide lamp fixture consumes about 2,210 kilowatt hours of energy per year.
Both standards incorporate feedback from industry, consumer and environmental advocacy groups and other stakeholders, and will go into effect three years after publication in the Federal Register.
Under the Obama Administration, the Energy Department has reportedly finalized new efficiency standards for more than 30 household and commercial products, including dishwashers, refrigerators and water heaters, which are estimated to save consumers more than $400 billion and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1.8 billion metric tons through 2030.
