PITTSFIELD, Mass. - New federal energy efficiency regulations that the end of the sale and manufacturing of incandescent and halogen light bulbs are now in effect.

“Light bulbs have been my life for the last couple of months,” said Peggi-Jeanne Crosier, manager of John’s ACE Hardware in Pittsfield.

Crosier said like many stores across the country, their light bulb aisle is newly organized and there aren't many incandescent light bulbs.

“Because of the regulations now, everything has to be a certain amount of watts per lumen and everything else had to be taken off the store as of the first," Crosier said. "So, we kind of got ahead of that a little bit just to make sure we were all set by August 1 and changed everything over into primarily LED, with a few exemptions for the things that are still allowed.”

The incandescent bulbs still allowed for sale are utility lights for things like refrigerators, microwaves and heat lamps. Otherwise, manufacturers and retailers can no longer make or sell the light bulbs many families have been using for generations.

Crosier said although the price is slightly higher, there’s a lot of variety with LEDs - from smart lights that can be controlled with a cell phone to the candle flame-style found in many New England homes.

“A lot of these older homes, my own included, use these candelabra lights," Crosier said. "Primarily, have been incandescent up until now. But they are making the option so you can still replace it, but it'll just be more efficient, a little bit brighter. They'll last a lot longer. They use less electricity.”

According to the Energy Department, the new rules are projected to cut planet-warming carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years, an amount equal to emissions generated by 28 million homes in one year.

Crosier said there was a phasing out process at the Pittsfield store, but they still have incandescent bulbs they can no longer sell.

“We still have a lot of items that never left, but our intention is hopefully to be able to donate to somebody who can use them, you know, businesses or families that need something," Crosier said. "Since we can't sell them, they are still usable, they're not efficient, but we're doing our best to try and hand those off to somebody without a cost to them.”

The new regulations only impact manufacturers and retail stores. If you own incandescent light bulbs, you can continue to use them, but making the change to LEDs will most likely save some money on your utility bills.