The government has announced plans to end the sale of halogen light bulbs from this September.
Legislation being brought forward this month will also include the removal of fluorescent lights from shelves from September 2023.
Energy Minister, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, commented on the announcement: “We’re phasing out old inefficient halogen bulbs for good, so we can move more quickly to longer lasting LED bulbs, meaning less waste and a brighter and cleaner future for the UK.
“By helping ensure electrical appliances use less energy but perform just as well, we’re saving households money on their bills and helping tackle climate change.”
According to the government, around two thirds of bulbs currently sold in Britain are LED lights.
The UK began phasing out the sale of higher-energy halogen lightbulbs in 2018.
The new legislation would mean retailers will no longer be able to sell the majority of halogen bulbs for general household use in the UK from 1 September.
To help people make the switch, ministers are also announcing that all light bulbs will start to feature new energy efficiency advice via ‘rescaled’ energy labels on their boxes.
The labels will simplify the way energy efficiency is displayed on a new scale from A-G, doing away with the A+, A++ or A+++ ratings.
The new labels is set to raise the bar for each class, meaning very few bulbs will now be classified as A, helping consumers choose the most environmentally friendly bulbs.
This measure is expected to mean that LED light bulbs will account for 85% of all bulbs sold by 2030.
In addition, the government also plans to start phasing out the sale of high-energy fluorescent lightbulbs, with a view to bringing an end to their sale from September 2023.
Taken together, these new rules are reported to stop 1.26 million tonnes of carbon being emitted every year – the equivalent of removing over half a million cars from the UK’s roads.
The move is part of a package of energy efficiency improvements to electrical appliances, which are reported to save consumers an average of £75 a year on energy bills.
These plans also include a ban from September on the sale of lighting fixtures with fixed bulbs that can’t be replaced – meaning the fixtures have to be thrown away.
Fixtures such as these are reported to account for 100,000 tonnes of electrical waste every year – out of a total 1.5 million tonnes of electrical waste each year.
Overall, the government’s package of energy efficiency improvements are also cut 8 million tonnes of carbon emissions in 2021 by reducing the amount of energy products consume over their lifetime – the equivalent of removing all emissions from Birmingham and Leeds each year.
The government has published its response to the consultation on updated Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Regulations for lighting products, which is available on the UK Government website.
