$1 billion to $4 billion

Annual savings U.S. consumers will reap from 2012 through 2042 as a result of new energy-efficiency rules for incandescent reflector lamps and general-service fluorescent lights introduced yesterday, according to the White House. The efficiency standards were announced just days after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act; the standards were last updated in 1992.

President Barack Obama and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu unveiled the rules, which will cut energy use for the affected bulbs by 15 to 25 percent and, from 2012 through 2042, are also designed to eliminate the emission of up to 594 million tons of greenhouse-gas emissions, about the same as taking 166 million cars off the road for a year; save enough electricity to power every home in the U.S. for up to 10 months; and eliminate the need for up to 7.3 gigawatts of new electricity generating capacity. Read more details on the updated standards.

"The first step we're taking sets new efficiency standards on fluorescent and incandescent lighting. Now I know lightbulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7 percent of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and our businesses," said President Obama.

The news was well received by groups advocating for energy efficiency. "We believe this will be the biggest efficiency savings from any appliance standard ever," Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, told The New York Times.

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs are not affected by the new rules. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Look for our testing update on CFLs in the October 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, online and on newsstands in September.