2023 Lighting Celebration

For more than 25 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program has helped to transform the lighting industry and foster widespread adoption of affordable and efficient lighting options for consumers. More than 3 billion ENERGY STAR certified light bulbs have been sold in the United States since the label's introduction in 1997, transforming the lighting market and delivering electric energy savings of over one trillion kWh –equivalent to the annual carbon sequestration of the over 800 million acres of forest in the United States, meaning our energy choices count and our collective decisions as consumers have a BIG impact on the environment!

A Brief History of ENERGY STAR Lighting

In 1997, upon the introduction of ENERGY STAR’s lighting specification, the energy-efficient alternative to incandescent lighting was primarily compact fluorescent bulbs, and the fragmented U.S. lighting industry had struggled to create consumer demand. A lack of consumer awareness and education about lighting efficiency, combined with limited coordination among manufacturers, utilities, and retailers, created an opportunity for EPA to generate a market signal to help boost consumer adoption through ENERGY STAR. Over the next two decades, EPA’s focus on product quality, branding, and consumer education helped transform the market with the help of dedicated industry partners. The goal was to provide consumers with efficient lighting options without sacrificing performance and quality - and thanks to the hard work of our partners, we exceeded those expectations. 

Coming Together to Transform the Market

While technology updates, product testing, and feedback helped to improve the quality and performance of certified lighting products, one of the most significant contributors to this market transformation was the lighting industry rallying to better educate consumers on the substantial benefits of ENERGY STAR certified lighting products. In the fall of 2001, retailers, utilities, and manufacturers united around the first-ever nationally coordinated lighting promotion: Change a Light, Change the World. More than 100 utilities and other program sponsors, hundreds of retailers, and 25 fixture and bulb manufacturers participated in the promotion, which generated media interest that reached millions of prospective customers throughout the country. This nationally coordinated promotion became the cornerstone of ENERGY STAR product outreach, later evolving to include additional product categories and energy-saving behaviors. 

Capitalizing on the tremendous success of this campaign, in 2007, ENERGY STAR embarked on a 20-day, ten-city national bus tour, including media and public engagement events across the nation to promote the benefits of ENERGY STAR certified lighting to consumers. During the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Bus Tour that kicked off at the Disneyland Resort in California, the bus was the star of 16 in-person events – with each event garnering local media attention, reaching millions of consumers across the nation through significant broadcast, print, and online coverage. The bus tour helped bring the campaign to life, using the vehicle to provide a branded visual backdrop across the country and a platform for interacting with consumers and providing hands-on learning and educational opportunities. 

 Partners that Changed a Light and Changed the World