Europe bans incandescent lamps

On December 8, 2008, EU Member States' experts endorsed the European Commission's proposals for a regulation progressively phasing out incandescent bulbs starting in 2009 and finishing at the end of 2012 (see News story).

The regulation (scheduled for formal adoption by the Commission in March 2009) targets lamps typically used in households - in particular incandescent lamps, halogen lamps and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) - by setting minimum energy efficiency and functionality requirements.

Beginning in September 2009, all non-clear (frosted) incandescent lamps and all clear incandescent lamps at 100W and above will effectively be prohibited from sale. The staged phase-out process will then remove lower-power incandescents from the market as well.

An EU document entitled "Phasing out incandescent bulbs in the EU - Technical briefing" describes LEDs as "a fast-emerging technology, whose efficacy competes with that of CFLs. However, LEDs for room illumination are today only in the first phases of commercialisation, and rare are those that fulfil all the expectations of the consumers in terms of light output and other functionalities. They are likely to become true alternatives to CFLs very rapidly."

In the meantime, however, CFLs are the forefront the EU's plans to enhance the adoption of energy-efficient lighting.

The EU's decision has been applauded by the European lighting giants Philips and Osram, the world's two largest lighting companies.

However, there are many groups such as the Professional Lighting Designers Association (PLDA) that feel a ban on incandescents is not warranted, given the inherent problems with CFLs and their unsuitability for many applications. See the PLDA's Letter on this subject.

The effect of the EU's decision on LEDs is yet to be determined. On one hand, it could accelerate the adoption of LED lamps as customers look for energy-efficient lighting products that do not have the same deficiencies as CFLs.

However, LED lamps in general have not yet reached the necessary price-performance point to compete effectively in the market. Pushing inferior or expensive products into the market could create a negative perception among consumers, which could be difficult to shake off.

Another factor is that CFLs will be forced to improve rapidly, in turn reducing the advantage of switching to LEDs, although most people agree that LEDs will be the solution for most lighting applications in the longer term.

Let us know what you think.