NEMA Assessment of the Energy Policy Act of 2005

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) is a far reaching piece of legislation impacting what manufacturers will be able to sell and produce. Additionally, it pushes all of us to use and install energy efficient products, helping reduce energy consumption by simultaneously saving valuable dollars and natural resources. Irby is positioning itself to ensure we have the intelligence and products you need to understand and comply with the new guidelines.

NEMA supports federal government energy efficiency requirements based on industry consensus standards. As products are produced for national markets, standards, test procedures, and labeling must be uniform state to state.

NEMA EPAct 2005 Provisions

Energy efficiency is a national concern, and solutions should be driven by market forces. The litmus test for establishing mandatory national product and equipment efficiency standards is technological feasibility, economic justification, energy savings, and commercial availability.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 Section 135 embodies new national energy efficiency standards for several NEMA products. NEMA developed these provisions in partnership with energy efficiency and environmental advocates. NEMA advocated the earliest practicable implementation date for these standards to maximize energy savings and preempt state standards in favor of uniform federal requirements.

New Product Standards

Standards go into effect for products that were

manufactured on or after January 1, 2006, for illuminated exit signs, torchiere fixtures, traffic signals, pedestrian crosswalk modules, and medium-screw base compact fluorescent lamps;
manufactured on or after January 1, 2007, for low voltage dry-type distribution transformers;
manufactured on or after January 1, 2009, sold by a manufacturer on or after October 1, 2009, or incorporated into a luminaire on or after July 1, 2010, for energy saving fluorescent lamp ballasts. Mercury vapor lamp ballasts shall not be manufactured or imported after January 1, 2008. (See product rule chart, page 8.)

The 2006 effective dates were selected because the standards and test procedures are based on existing Energy Star® guidelines. The 2007 transformer date was chosen as being the earliest possible given the worldwide shortages of high-efficiency electrical core steels. The energy saving fluorescent lamp ballast requirements ensure that these T12 lamp ballasts are regulated. The mercury vapor ballast requirement was chosen as a practical means of increasing the efficiency of High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting systems by phasing out the relatively low efficiency mercury vapor technology. In addition to conservation standards, labeling requirements (EPAct 2005 Section 137) would need to be established for these products. For transformers, NEMA Standard TP 3 is specified. For the remaining products, the Federal Trade Commission (consumer products) or the Department of Energy (commercial products) are directed to conduct hearings to develop appropriate product labeling and information disclosure requirements.

Effective on the date of enactment (August 8, 2005), states are preempted from establishing any new state regulations for these products. In those states where regulations already existed, the state rules are preempted upon the effective dates of the respective federal product standard.

By providing initial information to start the process of understanding these important guidelines, Irby will continue to provide product specific information as it becomes available.