DOE has published a Federal Register Final Rule adopting amendments to the test procedures for general service fluorescent lamps (GSFLs), incandescent reflector lamps (IRLs), and general service incandescent lamps (GSILs) to update references to industry test standards and provide citations to specific sections of these standards; amend definitions; reference specific sections within industry test standards for further clarity; provide test methods for measuring coloring rendering index (CRI) for incandescent lamps and measuring lifetime of IRLs; clarify test frequency and inclusion of cathode power in measurements for GSFLs; decrease the sample size and specify all metrics for all lamps be measured from the same sample; and align terminology across relevant sections of the Code of Federal Regulations relating to GSFLs, IRLs and GSILs.

• The effective date of this rule is September 30, 2022.
• The final rule changes will be mandatory for product testing February 27, 2023. 
• The incorporation by reference of certain material listed in this rule is approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of September 30, 2022. 
• The incorporation by reference of certain other material listed in this rule was approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of June 30, 1997, March 23, 2009, September 14, 2009, and February 27, 2012.

DOE has published a Federal register notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) pertaining to definitions for General Service Lamps (GSL). On January 19, 2017, DOE published two final rules adopting revised definitions of general service lamp (GSL) and general service incandescent lamp (GSIL), and other supplemental definitions, to go into effect January 1, 2020. Prior to that effective date, on September 5, 2019, DOE withdrew the revised definitions of GSL, GSIL, and the other supplemental definitions. Upon further review and consideration, in this  NOPR, DOE proposes to adopt the definitions of GSL and GSIL and the associated supplemental definitions set forth in the January 2017 final rules. This document also announces a public meeting to receive comment on these proposed definitions.

• DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this NOPR until October 18, 2021.
• Interested persons may submit comments identified by docket number EERE–2021–BT–STD-0012, by email (2021STD0012GSLDefinitions@ee.doe.gov) or Federal eRulemaking portal (http://www.regulations.gov). 
• The webinar will be held on Thursday, September 30, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Click here to register for the webinar.
• Foreign Nationals interested in participating in this webinar, must be screened by DOE Headquarters Security prior to being granted access. Please email Regina.Washington@ee.doe.gov to complete the necessary documentation at least two weeks prior to scheduled meeting date.
• Additional webinar registration information, participant instructions, and information about the capabilities available to webinar participants will be published on DOE’s website: https://energy.gov/eere/buildings/public-meetings-and-comment-deadlines

DOE has published a Federal Register notice proposing to amend the test procedures for general service fluorescent lamps (GSFLs), incandescent reflector lamps (IRLs), and general service incandescent lamps (GSILs) to update to the latest versions of the referenced industry test standards and provide cites to specific sections of these standards; to clarify definitions, test conditions and methods, and measurement procedures; to clarify test frequency and inclusion of cathode power in measurements for GSFLs; to provide a test method for measuring color rendering index (CRI) of GSILs and IRLs and for measuring lifetime of IRLs; to allow manufacturers to make voluntary (optional) representations of GSFLs at high frequency settings; to revise the sampling requirements; and to align sampling and certification requirements with proposed test procedure terminology and with the Federal Trade Commission’s labeling program.  DOE is seeking comment from interested parties on the proposal.

DOE has published a Federal Register notice of final determination pertaining to the energy conservation standards for GSILs. DOE has determined that energy conservation standards  for GSILs would not be economically justified.

• The effective date of this rule is December 27, 2019.

On September 5, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a notice of proposed determination (NOPD) initially determining that energy conservation standards for general service incandescent lamps (GSILs) do not need to be amended. DOE has now published a Federal Register correction notice addressing typographical errors that appear in the September 2019 NOPD. This notice also corrects values listed in Tables V.4, V.7, V.9, and V.10, and corrects duplicative numbering of tables and reference to those tables. Neither the errors nor the corrections in this document affect the substance of the rulemaking or any initial conclusions reached in support of the NOPD.

• This correction notice will be effective September 24, 2019. 

Frequently Asked Questions GSIL NOPD

For the latest information on the planned timing of future DOE regulatory milestones, see the current Office of Management and Budget Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. All planned dates are preliminary and subject to change.

General service incandescent lamps manufactured and distributed in commerce, as defined by 42 U.S.C. 6291(16), must meet the energy conservation standards specified in the Code of Federal Regulations at 10 CFR 430.32(x)(1).

For information on additional five lamp types excluded from this regulation, please visit Lamps Exempted from GSIL Standards webpage.

To determine that general service incandescent lamps that are currently manufactured or distributed into commerce are in compliance with DOE standards, manufacturers must follow the test procedure methods specified at 10 CFR 430.23(r).  The methods to conduct the test procedure are further specified in 10 CFR 430, subpart B, appendix R.