Phase-out of incandescent light bulbs

Governments around the world have passed measures to phase out incandescent light bulbs for general lighting. The aim is to encourage the use and technological development of more energy-efficient lighting alternatives, such as compact fluorescent lamp (CFLs) and LED lamps.

Brazil and Venezuela started to phase them out in 2005, and the European Union, Switzerland, and Australia started to phase them out in 2009.

Likewise, other nations are planning scheduled phase-outs: Argentina, Russia, and Canada in 2012, and Malaysia in 2014. Although the United States is not phasing out incandescent light bulbs, it has set minimum efficiency standards for lighting which preclude most legacy incandescent designs; these minimum standards phase in between 2012 and 2014.

Regional developments

Asia
India	While not a complete ban, the plan is to replace 400 million incandescent light bulbs with CFLs by 2012. The energy savings and resultant carbon emissions savings is expected to be around 55 million tonnes per year. The state of Tamil Nadu in India has banned the use of incandescent bulbs in government departments, public sector undertakings, various boards, cooperative institutions, local bodies, and institutions running on government aid.
Philippines	In February 2008, president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called for a ban of incandescent light bulbs by 2010 in favor of more energy-efficient fluorescent globes to help cut greenhouse gas emissions and household costs during her closing remarks at the Philippine Energy Summit. Once put in effect, the country will be the first in Asia to do so.
Malaysia	The Government will stop all production, import and sales of incandescent light bulbs by or before January 2014, as part of efforts to save power and to help cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Europe
European Union	The initial Europe wide ban only applies to general-purpose, non-directional incandescent bulbs, so does not affect any bulbs with reflective surfaces (e.g. spotlights and halogen down lighters) or special purpose bulbs including those used in ovens, fridges, traffic lights, infrared lamps etc. The sale of the most inefficient bulbs will be phased out. The first types to go are non-clear (frosted) bulbs, which will be off the market by September 2009. Also from September 2009 clear bulbs over 100W must be made of more efficient types. This limit will be moved down to lower wattages, and the efficiency levels raised by the end of 2012. Also, the EU has given the target of 2016 to phase out halogen bulbs, and any bulb available for purchase after the 2016 date must have at least a 'B' energy rating. The Finnish parliament discussed banning sales of incandescent light bulbs by the beginning of 2011.
Ireland	The Irish government was the first European Union (EU) member state to ban the sale of incandescent light bulbs. It was later announced that all member states of the EU agreed to a progressive phase-out of incandescent light bulbs by 2012.
Switzerland	Switzerland banned the sale of all light bulbs of the Energy Efficiency Class F and G, which affects a few types of incandescent light bulbs. Most normal light bulbs are of Energy Efficiency Class E, and the Swiss regulation has exceptions for various kinds of special-purpose and decorative bulbs.
United Kingdom	The UK government announced in 2007 that incandescent bulbs would be phased out by 2011.
North America
Canada	The provincial government of Nova Scotia stated in February 2007 that it would like to move towards preventing the sale of incandescent light bulbs in the province. In April 2007, Ontario's Minister of Energy Dwight Duncan announced the provincial government's intention to ban the sale of incandescent light bulbs by 2012. Later in April, the federal government announced that it would ban the sale of inefficient incandescent light bulbs nation-wide by 2012 as part of a plan to cut down on emissions of greenhouse gases. The plan is expected to save the average homeowner $50 a year on the electricity bill. The Energy Efficiency Regulations are published on the Natural Resources Canada website.
Cuba	Cuba exchanged all incandescent light bulbs for CFLs, and banned the sale and import of them in 2005.
United States	Individual State efforts California will phase out the use of incandescent bulbs by 2018 as part of bill by California State Assembly member Jared Huffman (D-Santa Rosa) that was signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on October 12, 2007. The bill aims to establish a minimum standard of twenty-five lumens per watt by 2013 and sixty lumens per watt by 2018. Connecticut legislation was proposed by state Representative Mary M. Mushinsky (D-Wallingford). New Jersey Assemblyman Larry Chatzidakis introduced a bill on February 8, 2007 that calls for the state to switch to fluorescent lighting in government buildings over the next three years. Chatzidakis said, "The light bulb was invented a long time ago and a lot of things have changed since then. I obviously respect the memory of Thomas Edison, but what we're looking at here is using less energy." Federal legislation In December 2007, many of these state efforts became moot when the federal government enacted the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which requires all general-purpose light bulbs that produce 310–2600 lumens of light be 30% more energy efficient (similar to current halogen lamps) than current incandescent bulbs by 2012 to 2014. The efficiency standards will start with 100-watt bulbs in January 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in January 2014. Light bulbs outside of this range are exempt from the restrictions (historically, less than 40 Watts or more than 150 Watts). Also exempt are several classes of specialty lights, including appliance lamps, rough service bulbs, 3-way, colored lamps, and plant lights. By 2020, a second tier of restrictions would become effective, which requires all general-purpose bulbs to produce at least 45 lumens per watt (similar to current CFLs). Exemptions from the Act include reflector flood, 3-way, candelabra, colored, and other specialty bulbs.
Oceania
Australia	In February 2007, Australia enacted a law that will, in effect, by legislating efficiency standards, disallow most sales of incandescent light bulbs by 2010. The Australian Federal Government announced minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for lighting products. The new minimum standard efficiency level is 15 lumens per watt (lm/W). In November 2008 the importation of non-compliant lighting (which includes some incandescent globes) into Australia was banned, and from November 2009 the retail sale of non-compliant lighting is banned. According to the current proposal all regular light bulbs and some other kinds of light bulbs sold from October 2009 will have to meet the new minimum energy performance standards. Incandescent light bulbs that meet the new standards, for example high efficiency halogen bulbs, will continue to be available. It is estimated that greenhouse gas emissions will be cut by 800,000 tonnes (Australia's current emission total is 564.7 million tonnes), a saving of approximately 0.14%. There have been some initiatives to encourage people to switch to compact fluorescent lamps ahead of the phase out.
New Zealand	In February 2007, then Climate Change Minister David Parker announced a similar proposal to the one in Australia,[34] except that importation for personal use would have been allowed.However the proposed ban was scrapped by the new government in December 2008.
South America
Argentina	In Argentina, selling and importing incandescent light bulbs will be forbidden starting 31 December 2010.
Venezuela	As part of its electricity conservation program, Venezuela has a light bulb exchange program, which aims to replace millions of incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents.

Global

As part of global efforts to promote efficient lighting, United Nations Environment Programme with the support of the GEF Earth Fund, Philips Lighting and OSRAM GmbH has established the en.lighten initiative. The initiative seeks to accelerate global commercialization and market transformation of efficient lighting technologies by working at the global level and providing support to countries. In doing so it aims at promoting high performance efficient technologies, phasing out inefficient lighting technologies, and substituting traditional fuel-based lighting with modern, efficient alternatives, with consideration for environmentally sound technologies (including mercury-free).

Public opposition

The phase out has been referred to as "light bulb socialism". The consumer preference for light bulbs in the EU is for incandescent bulbs, with many complaining about what was described as the ugliness or the cold, flat, unnatural, dull light emanating from CFLs. Objection has also been raised to being forced to adopt CFLs.

Bulk purchasing of incandescent bulbs was reported ahead of the EU lightbulb ban. Many retailers in Britain, Poland, Austria, Germany and Hungary have reported bulk purchasing, and in Germany, sales rose by up to 150% in 2009 in comparison to 2008. Two-thirds of Austrians surveyed stated they believe the phase-out to be "nonsensical", with 53.6% believing their health to be at risk of mercury poisoning. 72% of Americans believe the government has no right to dictate which light bulb they may use. The Czech Republic President, Vaclav Klaus, urged people to stockpile enough incandescent bulbs to last their lifetime.

Museums and individuals have been stockpiling incandescent lightbulbs in Europe, owing to CFL's inferior colour representation. The European Association for the Co-ordination of Consumer Representation in Standardisation has called for a speedy reduction of the mercury levels contained within CFLs from the current 5mg limit to 1 mg. The European Consumers' Organization, BEUC, said that phasing out incandescent bulbs will be detrimental for people suffering light-related health issues, and called for the continued availability of incandescent bulbs:

"The EU Regulation falls short of the needs of some consumers who need to use the old-style light bulbs for health-related reasons such as light sensitivity. We call on the European Commission to take immediate measures to ensure that people who rely on incandescent light bulbs will be able to buy these bulbs until suitable alternative lighting technologies are available. There are also concerns about the risks to health from the high mercury content of the new bulbs."

A campaign group called SPECTRUM was formed by the charities Lupus UK, Eclipse Support Group, ES-UK, XP Support Group and The Skin Care Campaign as an 'alliance for light sensitivity' to oppose 'UK and EU plans to phase out incandescent lightbulbs'. Their campaign has been picked up and amplified by the British Association of Dermatologists, calling for access to incandescent light bulbs for those who are medically sensitive to CFLs and other non-incandescent bulbs, and the charity Migraine Action, stating that its members still suffer adverse effects from CFLs despite protestations from the light bulb industry.

Environmental and health concerns

CFLs, like all fluorescent lamps, contain small amounts of mercury as vapor inside the glass tubing, averaging 4.0 mg per bulb. A broken compact fluorescent lamp will release about 4% of its mercury content. Safe cleanup of broken compact fluorescent lamps is different from cleanup of conventional broken glass or incandescent bulbs. After a proper cleanup, any potential short term exposure offers no significant health risks to adults, including pregnant women, or to children. When considering the mercury content in emissions from coal-fired power plants, fluorescent bulb use results in about 70% less mercury put into the atmosphere than incandescent bulb use. However, a concern is that broken bulbs will introduce the mercury directly into a populated indoor area.

Cost

The cost of CFLs is higher than incandescent light bulbs. Typically this extra cost is repaid in the long-term, as CFLs use less energy and have longer operating lives than incandescent bulbs, although some CFL manufacturers have consistently over-estimated the actual usable lifetime of their lights. However there are some areas where the extra cost of a CFL may never be repaid, typically where bulbs are used relatively infrequently such as in little-used closets and attics.

Dimmers

Most CFLs are not compatible with all existing dimming circuits., and some pose a fire hazard when used in such circuits. However, more dimmable CFLs are expected to become available as the phase-outs progress. Mains voltage halogen bulbs provide a more efficient dimmable alternative to common incandescent bulbs and are readily available, however halogen bulbs are designed to be operated at a specific temperature and therefore are not entirely compatible with dimming.

Movement of manufacturing jobs and emissions

General Electric closed their incandescent light bulb factory in Winchester, Virginia, while the CFL bulb market share is dominated by Chinese manufacturers. Ironically, the increase in demand for Chinese CFLs has driven an expansion in the number of facilities manufacturing the bulbs, which in turn has spurred an increase in the construction of coal-fired power plants in China, to supply power to the additional factories. Reduction in atmospheric mercury and greenhouse gases in some parts of the world are therefore being offset to some extent by increases in these emissions from the additional Chinese plants.

Alternatives to incandescent bulbs

None of the alternatives to the incandescent lamp produce light with the same spectral characteristics. An incandescent lamp approximates a black body spectral distribution. All the proposed alternatives use phosphors to produce light and have significantly irregular spectral distributions, which can result in colour casts in photography and failures of colour matching when compared to incandescent produced light or daylight. This may not be a disadvantage for domestic lighting. Moreover, improved phosphor formulations have improved the perceived color of the light emitted by CFLs, and some sources now rate the best "soft white" CFLs as subjectively similar in colour to standard incandescent lamps.

The first widely available replacements for incandescent light bulbs, the distinctive "curly-Q"-designed compact fluorescent lamps, are now (as of 2010) joined by two alternative technologies - light-emitting diode lamps (LED) and electron stimulated luminescence (ESL) lamps. Both LED and ESL technologies are mercury-free, eliminating the need for special disposal or handling, and both have comparably long lives when compared to incandescent bulbs.

LED lamps are used for both general and special-purpose lighting. Where colored light is needed, LEDs come in multiple colors, which are emitted with no need for filters, and also produce a more robust color than incandescent bulbs. This improves the energy efficiency over a white light source that generates all colors of light then discards some of the visible energy in a filter.

Compared to fluorescent bulbs, advantages for LED light bulbs are that they contain no mercury (unlike compact fluorescent light bulbs), that they turn on instantly, and that lifetime is unaffected by cycling on and off, so that they are well suited for light fixtures where bulbs are often turned on and off. LED light bulbs are also less apt to break.

ESL technology does not create the same light quality as an incandescent but is up to 70 percent more energy efficient, lasting up to five times longer than incandescent lighting and contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. ESL lamps produce light by stimulation of a phosphor, as do fluorescents, and produce light of a similar quality.

ESL bulbs resemble the "classic" light bulb shapes that are familiar to consumers everywhere. This eliminates the need to bend the technology into an unusual shape or have costly heat dissipation elements designed into the bulb housing.

Compared to other incandescent light bulb alternatives, ESL technology not only uses less power on the demand side, it requires less energy from the grid than CFL, LED and incandescent light bulbs.

Other issues

Heating and cooling

Main article: Compact_fluorescent_lamp#Heating_and_cooling

Depending on the climate, the full energy savings and environmental benefits of widespread phase-out and replacement with efficient lighting may vary. In warmer climates, efficient lighting would have an energy saving effect by reducing the amount of cooling required, while in cooler climates, increased heating energy demand may offset some of the lighting energy saved with efficient lighting.