The Government has announced that they are banning the sale of halogen light bulbs from September 2021 as part of the commitment to net-zero goals. This ban aims to promote better home efficiency which will reduce consumer bills and emissions.

Fluorescent light bulbs are not far behind with a September 2023 ban deadline for retailers. This will force consumers to use LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs which are more efficient than traditional halogen and fluorescent bulbs. With these measures in place, LEDs are expected to account for 85% of all bulbs sold in the UK by 2030.

The September ban will also cover lighting fixtures with fixed bulbs, bulbs that cannot be replaced. This causes a lot of material waste as consumers have to replace the fixture once their bulb dies. This will tackle the 100,000 tons of electric waste caused by fixed bulbs.

These plans were announced on Wednesday 9th June 2021 as a direct action to contribute to reducing climate change as we approach the COP26 summit in November. This also follows from 2018 when the UK was stopping high energy halogen bulbs.

LED light bulbs are so much more efficient than traditional halogen bulbs that they can produce the same amount of light while using 80% less power. This will make a large contribution to saving energy when applied to a national scale. Statistics show that the transition could reduce emissions by over 1.2 million tons of CO2 a year or the same as removing over 500,000 vehicles from the road.

In addition, they will also last up to 5 times longer meaning that consumers will save more money over time by simply having reliable bulbs. LEDs are also widely accessible with almost two-thirds of every light bulb in the UK being an LED.

Consumers can also lookout for new rescaled energy efficiency labels that can be found on typical household appliances. These will now be measured on a scale from A, being the highest efficiency, to G, being the lowest efficiency, instead of the old ratings which included A+++. This new system aims to more accurately inform the consumer of the efficiency rating of the bulb or appliance.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Energy Minister, said:

“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.”