The Biden administration, which banned the incandescent lightbulb last year, is going after LED bulbs, demanding “a significant leap” in energy efficiency that will nearly double the price of the bulbs and eliminate lighting choices for consumers.

Half of U.S. households use LEDs or light-emitting diode bulbs. The number of households relying on LED lighting is set to increase now that the Biden administration has banned incandescent bulbs and is phasing out the pig-tailed compact fluorescent lightbulbs that cost less than LEDs but contain mercury.

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The Department of Energy, however, isn’t done with wringing as much energy savings as it can out of the remaining bulbs left on the market and has set new standards that industry experts say will be tough to meet.

The department announced recently that beginning in July of 2028, LED bulbs would have to nearly triple the lumens they must achieve per watt from the current 45 lumens to 120 lumens.

Officials at DOE said the move will save energy and reduce the nation’s carbon emissions, a top priority for President Biden.

The DOE calculates that over 30 years, the more stringent LED standards will save Americans $27 billion on their utility bills and slash 70 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, which is the equivalent of the combined annual emissions of more than 9 million homes.

The new rule, the DOE projects, would cut lightbulb energy use by 17% over three decades.

But critics say the LED squeeze is yet another of Mr. Biden’s moves to over-regulate home appliances, which have already cut energy use sharply over the past two decades under orders of the federal government.

The Biden administration has ramped up regulating appliances further as it works to meet the president’s goal of achieving a “net zero emissions economy” by 2050 or sooner.

The administration has taken steps to force appliance makers to improve energy efficiency in stoves, refrigerators, gas furnaces, microwaves, air purifiers, ceiling fans and washers and dryers.

“That’s the problem with these agencies. They make their living cranking out more and more regulations. There’s never going to be a stopping point,” said Ben Lieberman, former counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Committee who is now a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Incandescent bulbs were cheaper than LED bulbs, but considered more expensive over the long haul because they used more energy and burned out faster.

When the Biden administration banned incandescent bulbs in August, it imposed a fine of $523 per bulb on anyone who makes or sells them.

Mr. Lieberman said most LED bulbs on the market do not meet DOE’s looming new standards. According to DOE officials, the standards will raise the average price of a pear-shaped LED bulb from $2.98 to $5.68, an increase of 91%.

Industry publication Inside Lighting called the new standards “a significant leap” in energy efficiency requirements. It warned meeting the new standards “may prove to be a formidable task for manufacturers of certain LED lamps” and will result in an “increased financial burden” for manufacturers.

The new efficiency standards will forbid an increasingly popular class of LED bulbs that do not emit blue light. These bulbs, say health experts, are healthier for eyes and promote better sleep, among other health benefits.

Most LED bulbs that do not emit blue light will fall short of the new standard of 120 lumens per watt.

Dr. Martin Moore-Ede, director of the Circadian Lighting Research Center, said blue lighting emitted by LEDs, when used at night, can lead to sleep disturbances, obesity, diabetes and cancer.

He advised the DOE to make an exception to the standards for blue-free LED bulbs.

“They are just racing out with this standard because they want to show they are reducing energy consumption, but at the cost of human health,” Dr. Moore-Ede said.

In the final rule, Energy Department officials rejected carving out an exception for blue-free LED bulbs, arguing the circadian rhythm response to light waves “are not yet fully understood … have not been standardized … and the claim that these lamps provide unique utility is not accurate at this time.”