The Trump administration’s decision to rescind new energy efficiency standards for light bulbs will cost consumers at least US$12 billion per year by 2025, while increasing annual greenhouse gas emissions by 34 million tonnes and annual electricity use by 80 billion kilowatt-hours in that year, according to an analysis released this week by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
“In its rush to deregulate, the Trump administration is hurting consumers’ pocketbooks and public health,” ACEEE states in a release. The jump in electricity use will be the equivalent of all household consumption in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.