The California Energy Commission adopted new standards updating the Appliance Efficiency Regulations (Title 20) for lighting appliances. Updates rolled out in two tiers with Tier 1 effective January 1, 2018 and Tier 2 effective July 1, 2019. Notably, this update added standards for small-diameter directional lamps. The updated regulations incorporate elements of lighting product quality for both general service LED lamps and small-diameter directional lamps in addition to the traditional lighting appliance efficiency standards previously included in the regulations. The addition of these new standards required revisions to the California Appliance Efficiency Database product certification process, as well as updates to product labeling requirements for lamp marking, marketing material, and product packaging.
Major Changes
- Updates to lamp regulations and categories
- California Appliance Efficiency Database
- Product labeling
Additional changes to the General Service Lamp (GSL) category went into effect on January 1, 2020 and are summarized in the California Energy Commission's Regulatory Advisory provided below. Now, lamps sold or offered for sale in California after January 1, 2020 must be at least 45 lumens per watt.
Clarifying regulations define GSL as a lamp that has an ANSI base; is able to operate at a voltage of 12 volts or 24 volts, at or between 100 to 130 volts, at or between 220 to 240 volts, or of 277 volts for integrated lamps, or is able to operate at any voltage for nonintegrated lamps; has an initial lumen output of greater than or equal to 310 lumens (or 232 lumens for modified spectrum general service incandescent lamps) and less than or equal to 3,300 lumens; is not a light fixture; is not an LED downlight retrofit kit; and is used in general lighting applications. General service lamps include, but are not limited to, general service incandescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, general service light-emitting diode lamps, and general service organic light-emitting diode lamps.
It is important to note that the California Energy Commission defintion for GSLs does not include: appliance lamps, black light lamps, bug lamps, colored lamps, G shape lamps with a diameter of 5 inches or more, general service fluorescent lamps, high intensity discharge lamps, infrared lamps, J, JC, JCD, JCS, JCV, JCX, JD, JS and JT shape lamps that do not have Edison screw bases, lamps that have a wedge base or prefocus base, left-hand thread lamps, marine lamps, marine signal service lamps, mine service lamps, MR shape lamps that have a first number symbol equal to 16 with a lumen output greater than or equal to 800, other fluorescent lamps, plant light lamps, R20 short lamps, reflector lamps that have a first number sybmol less than 16 that do not have E/26/E24, E26d, E26/50x39, E26/53x39, E29/28, E28/53x39, E39 or EX39 bases, S shape or G shape lamps that have a first number symbol less than or equal to 12.5, sign service lamps, silver bowl lamps, showcase lamps, speciality MR lamps, T shape lamps that have a first number symbol less than or equal to 8, nominal overall length less than 12 inches and are not compact fluorescent lamps, and traffic signal lamps.