General Service Incandescent Lamps

As defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), “General Service Incandescent Lamps” means a standard incandescent or halogen type lamp that is intended for general service applications; has a medium screw base; has a lumen range of not less than 310 lumens and not more than 2,600 lumens or, in the case of a modified spectrum lamp, not less than 232 lumens and not more than 1,950 lumens; and is capable of being operated at a voltage range at least partially within 110 and 130 volts; however this definition does not apply to the following incandescent lamps:

  1. An appliance lamp
  2. A black light lamp
  3. A bug lamp
  4. A colored lamp
  5. An infrared lamp
  6. A left-hand thread lamp
  7. A marine lamp
  8. A marine signal service lamp
  9. A mine service lamp
  10. A plant light lamp
  11. A reflector lamp
  12. A rough service lamp
  13. A shatter-resistant lamp (including a shatter-proof lamp and a shatter-protected lamp)
  14. A sign service lamp
  15. A silver bowl lamp
  16. A showcase lamp
  17. A three-way incandescent lamp
  18. A traffic signal lamp
  19. A vibration service lamp
  20. A G shape lamp (as defined in ANSI C78.20) (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) and ANSI C79.1-2002 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) with a diameter of 5 inches or more
  21. A T shape lamp (as defined in ANSI C78.20) (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) and ANSI C79.1-2002 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) and that uses not more than 40 watts or has a length of more than 10 inches
  22. A B, BA, CA, F, G16-1/2, G-25, G30, S, or M-14 lamp (as defined in ANSI C79.1-2002) (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) and ANSI C78.20 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) of 40 watts or less. 10 CFR 430.2. 

Manufacturers have been required to comply with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) energy conservation standards for general service incandescent lamps (GSILs) since 2012.

  • 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.

    Standards

    Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
    • Federal Register, 86FR46611 (August 19, 2021)
    Final Determination 
    • Federal Register, 84FR71626 (December 27, 2019)

    Notice of Proposed Determination; Correction

    Notice of Proposed Determination

    • Federal Register, 84FR49965 (September 24, 2019)
    • Federal Register, 84FR46830 (September 5, 2019)

    The general service incandescent lamps energy conservation standard rulemaking docket EERE-2013-BT-STD-0051 and contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.

    Public Meeting Information

    There is no public meeting scheduled at this time.

    Submitting Public Comments

    Comment period is closed.

    Test procedure

    Final Rule
    • Federal Register, 87FR53618 (August 31, 2022)
    Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 
    Request for Information

    The commercial package air conditioners and heat pumps test procedure rulemaking docket EERE-2017-BT-TP-0011 contains all notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting documents pertaining to this rulemaking.

    Public Meeting Information

    There is no public meeting scheduled at this time

    Submitting Public Comments

    Comment period is closed.

  • 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.

  • Compliance

    DOE has established regulations on certification, compliance, and enforcement in the CFR at 10 CFR Part 429.  These regulations cover statistical sampling plans, certified ratings, certification reports, record retention, and enforcement.  More information on these regulations is available here.

    Waivers

    For information on current test procedure waivers, see DOE’s Waivers webpage. 

    For information about obtaining test procedure waivers, see 10 CFR 430.27.

    Exceptions

    DOE's Office of Hearings and Appeals has not authorized exception relief for general service incandescent lamps.

    For information about obtaining exception relief, see 10 CFR part 1003.

    Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions

    For information on further guidance and answers to frequently asked questions on all covered products, see DOE’s Further Guidance database.

    State Exemptions to Federal Pre-emption

    DOE has not exempted any state from this energy conservation standard. States may petition DOE to exempt a state regulation from preemption by the federal energy conservation standard. States may also petition DOE to withdraw such exemptions. For details, see 10 CFR part 430, subpart D.

    Small Business Exemptions

    Any manufacturer of a covered product with annual gross revenues that do not exceed $8,000,000 from all its operations and meets certain other conditions may apply for an exemption to the energy conservation standard. For details, see 10 CFR part 430, subpart E.

    ENERGY STAR®

    DOE supports the testing and verification of ENERGY STAR products in close collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency.

    Find tips and guidance for making your home, workplace, or vehicle more energy efficient visit EnergySavers.gov.

  • For more information related to this product, please email:
    [email protected]