Europe flicks off switch on halogen light bulbs

The West Australian
Europe is phasing out halogen light bulbs.
Camera IconEurope is phasing out halogen light bulbs.Picture: Megan Powell

Halogen light bulbs are to be phased off shop shelves from this weekend as part of an effort across the European Union to improve energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions.

From September 1, retailers will no longer be allowed to replace stocks of the light bulbs, which use considerably more energy, than alternatives such as LEDs or compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs.

They also have a relatively short life span of around 2000 hours - approximately two years when used for around three hours per day.

The move is the final stage of an EU directive that has progressively banned less efficient light sources starting with traditional incandescent light bulbs in 2009 and halogen GU10 spotlight bulbs in 2016.

The last phase bans non-directional halogen bulbs, including standard pear or candle shaped lamps.

Halogen bulbs have stayed on the market until now because manufacturers argued that LEDs were not yet a viable replacement due to higher upfront costs, particularly for the brighter 60W to 100W-equivalent bulbs.

Some specialist bulbs such as those used in some ovens and cooker hoods are exempt from the ban because LED or other alternatives are not available or viable.

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A British government study found that UK homes have an average of 34 lights, with 10 of them (31 per cent) being halogen.

The Energy Saving Trust estimates that the typical halogen uses $19.30 of electricity a year while a replacement LED would only cost around $3.60 to use, and a halogen is likely to last for 2000 hours compared with an LED’s 25,000 hours.

Stewart Muir, of the Energy Saving Trust, said: “Halogen bulbs are now quite an old technology. They were first patented for commercial use in 1959, so they’ve been showing their age for a while - mostly by inflating your energy bill.

A Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy spokesman said using energy-efficient LED bulbs combined with other energy efficiency measures could save households around $175 on their annual energy bills from 2020.

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