Incandescent light bulb bans have been enacted by several governments that prohibit the manufacture or importation of incandescent light bulbs for general lighting in favor of more energy-efficient alternatives. The regulations are generally based on efficiency, rather than use of incandescent technology.
In 2009, the European Union and several other nations began the process of banning incandescent bulbs. In the early to mid 2010s, the bans continued in various other nations."Canada to ban incandescent light bulbs by 2012". Reuters. The cutoff date was subsequently extended. In 2023, the United States banned most general service incandescent lamps, but had exclusions for specific bulb implementations.
Objections to banning incandescent light bulbs include the higher initial cost of alternatives, lower quality of light of fluorescent lamps, and concerns of government overreach. Bodies such as the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks, as well as some psychiatrists, have expressed concern about the health and psychological effects of fluorescent lighting and blue light, stating they disrupt sleep, circadian rhythm and melatonin production compared with incandescent bulbs. Additional objections focus on the potentially hazardous materials in some alternative lamps.
Alternatives to incandescent bulbs The light from an incandescent source is similar in character to that from a Planckian "black body" in spectral distribution, that is, the bulb, as the filament heats up, produces light at wavelengths throughout the visible spectrum. Alternative light sources use phosphors or combinations of mono-chromatic LEDs (red, blue, and green) to produce "white" light, giving significantly irregular spectral distributions that can create color casts in photography and differences of color matching when compared to incandescent light or daylight.
Halogen lamps are a type of incandescent lamp with improved efficiency over regular incandescent lamps. Though not as energy efficient as other alternatives, they are up to 40 percent more efficient than standard incandescent lamps designed for a 2000-hour life. Depending on size, voltage, and designed life, small, low-voltage halogen lamps can have 70% higher efficacy than large, line-voltage lamps. They operate at a high temperature, which may be a safety hazard in some applications.
A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) uses a fluorescent lamp tube which is curved or folded to fit into the space of an incandescent bulb and contains a compact electronic ballast in the base of the lamp. Compared to general-service incandescent lamps giving the same amount of visible light, CFLs use one-fifth to one-third the electric power and may last eight to fifteen times longer. Newer phosphor formulations have improved the perceived color, with "soft white" CFLs judged subjectively similar to standard incandescent lamps. Objections more specifically relating to compact fluorescent light bulbs include the different quality of light produced by phosphor-based lamps compared to incandescent lamps and that compact fluorescent light bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, a potent neurotoxin, which is especially dangerous to children and pregnant women, and made more serious by the confined area into which mercury would be dispersed in the event of a breakage indoors. Environmental concerns about mercury contamination from CFLs have been raised, but they can be shown to emit less mercury into the environment overall compared to traditional incandescent bulbs, due to the significant reductions in power plant emissions. Compact fluorescent lamps start poorly when cold, and most types cannot be dimmed. A few specialty applications are unsuitable for CFLs.
Light emitting diode (LED) lamps are used for both general and special-purpose lighting. Their advantages over fluorescent bulbs include: they use less power for the same light output,Comparing LED vs CFL vs Incandescent Light Bulbs Viribright Corp., August 10, 2023 they contain no mercury, they turn on instantly over a wider range of temperatures, their lifetime is less affected by cycling on and off, they have no glass to break, and they emit fewer UV rays that fade colored materials. LED lamps radiate much less heat than other technologies, and can be either multi-directional or unidirectional, eliminating the need for a mirrored reflector in the bulb or fixture. LED lamps can emit saturated colored light. Disadvantages include spectral limitations resulting from the discrete emission bands of LED phosphors and semiconductor junctions; however, this issue has been partially mitigated through various spectral-engineering strategies, such as the use of multi-phosphor blends, remote phosphor coatings, and mixed-die architectures (e.g., RGBW or violet-pump systems) designed to broaden the emission spectrum and improve color rendition. Modern evaluation methods—such as the Color Quality Scale (CQS, measured in Qf and Qg units) and the IES TM-30 metrics (including the fidelity index Rf and gamut index Rg) provide more comprehensive assessments of these improvements than the traditional Color Rendering Index (CRI, Ra). When incandescent light bulb bans began, the purchase price for LEDs was much higher than other bulbs, but it has decreased steadily over the years.
Regional developments
Africa
Botswana Botswana has an exchange program distributing CFL bulbs.
ECOWAS Of the members of ECOWAS, Cape Verde, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Benin and Togo have had exchange programs to replace incandescent bulbs with energy efficient versions. Ghana banned incandescent bulbs in 2008 and Senegal has banned the manufacture and import.
Egypt Egypt is reported to have a partial ban on incandescent light bulbs.
Kenya Kenya has a programme to exchange a number of light bulbs with more efficient types.
Morocco Morocco has a programme to exchange a number of light bulbs with more efficient types.
Namibia Namibia has an exchange program which distributed 1 million energy saving bulbs in 2016.
Rwanda Rwanda has an exchange program, distributing CFL bulbs.
South Africa South Africa phased out incandescent light bulbs in 2016.SA to phase out inefficient light bulbs by 2016, SouthAfrica.info . 1 July 2016.
Tanzania Tanzania has an exchange program to replace incandescent bulbs.
Tunisia Tunisia is reported to have a partial ban on incandescent light bulbs.
Zambia Since January 2016, the importation of incandescent light bulbs has been banned in Zambia.Zambia maintains banning incandescent light bulbs, ESI Africa. 1 July 2016.
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe has banned incandescent light bulbs.
Asia
Bahrain Bahrain has banned incandescent light bulbs.
Bangladesh Bangladesh has an exchange program.
People's Republic of China Announced in 2011 China has banned imports and sales of certain incandescent light bulbs since October 2012 to encourage the use of alternative lighting sources such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), with a 5-year plan of phasing-out incandescent light bulbs over 100 watts starting 1 October 2012, and gradually extend the ban to those over 15 watts on 1 October 2016. Another source, however, has indicated that by 1 October 2016, all incandescent light bulbs will be banned. According to this source, 1 November 2011 to 30 September 2012 will be a transitional period and as of 1 October 2012, imports and sales of ordinary incandescent bulbs of 100 watts or more will be prohibited. The first phase will be followed by a ban on 60-watt-and-higher incandescent light bulbs starting in October 2014. By October 2016, all incandescent light bulbs will be banned in China. The final phase may be adjusted according to the results of interim assessment from October 2015 to October 2016. It has been reported that the ban would be complete by October 2016.
India While not a complete ban, the UJALA plan in India sought to replace 770 million incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs by 2019. This was expected to reduce energy consumption by over 100 billion kWh annually and reduce annual electricity bills by . As of April 2017, 229 million LED bulbs had been distributed across the country.
The states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka in India have banned the use of incandescent bulbs in government departments, various boards, cooperative institutions, local bodies, and institutions running on government aid."All Homes May Have to Switch on CFLs from Jan 1". Deccan Herald. Kerala banned incandescent bulbs in November 2020.
Israel Phase out of 60W and over incandescent light bulbs has been implemented from 1 January 2012. As a measure to increase awareness a national awareness campaign has been initiated by the Ministry of Energy where three CFLs will be sold at a subsidized price to the public.
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan banned all bulbs over 25 W on 1 January 2014.
Kuwait As of 1 August 2017, Kuwait has banned the import of incandescent light bulbs, including halogen bulbs.
Malaysia It was reported in 2012 that Malaysia would ban production, import and sales incandescent bulbs by 2014 as part of efforts to save power and to help cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Nepal Nepal banned incandescent light bulbs on 6 July 2019.
North Korea North Korea reportedly made LED bulbs mandatory in 2014 to alleviate its energy crisis.
Pakistan Pakistan banned incandescent bulbs on 1 July 2023.
Philippines The Philippines was among the first Asian countries to phase-out incandescent light bulbs. 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. No legislation was passed in regards to the phase-out and mostly involved the lessening the demand for incandescent bulbs.
Qatar Qatar banned incandescent light bulbs on 1 May 2016.
Singapore Singapore is phasing out incandescent light bulbs through 2019–23.
South Korea South Korea has phased out incandescent light bulbs under 150 watts since 2014. The government has prohibited manufacture and import of all incandescent lights. All incandescent bulbs are going to be replaced by LED and CFL light bulbs.
Tajikistan Tajikistan reportedly banned incandescent light bulbs in 2009 to save energy, though this was criticized as alternatives were expensive at the time.
United Arab Emirates The UAE has banned incandescent light bulbs.
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan banned the sale of light bulbs over 40W on 1 January 2017.
Europe
European Union All member states of the EU agreed 2008 to a progressive phase-out of incandescent light bulbs by 2012. The initial Europe wide ban only applied to general-purpose, non-directional incandescent bulbs, so did not affect any bulbs with reflective surfaces (e.g. spotlights and halogen down lighters) or special purpose bulbs including those used in devices such as household appliances, traffic lights, infrared lamps and automotive lighting. The sale of the most inefficient bulbs was phased out. The first types to go were non-clear (frosted) bulbs, which were taken off the market in September 2009. Also from September 2009 clear bulbs over 100 W were made of more efficient types. This limit was moved down to lower wattages, and the efficiency levels raised by the end of 2012.