When Were Incandescent Light Bulbs Banned?

The banning of incandescent bulbs has happened differently depending on which country you are in and many countries have chosen to do this as a gradual ban.  The focus of these bans has been to improve energy efficiency and to reduce carbon emissions.  Incandescent bulbs generate light by heating a tungsten filament which has been found to be highly inefficient - especially when compared to an LED bulb.  As lighting technology began to grow governments began to restrict the sale of incandescent bulbs.

A well known phase-out of incandescent bulbs occurred in the European Union in 2009 where the EU began to introduce lighting regulations under the Ecodesign Directive.  This phase-out started with removing the least energy efficient bulbs (around 100w or more) from being sold and lower wattage incandescent bulbs followed in afterwards in a steady and gradual process.  By 2012 the vast majority of incandescent bulbs were no longer permitted to be sold across states within the EU.  This did not make it illegal to own or use these bulbs but restricted the continued manufacture and sale of them. 

In the USA their phase-out of incandescent bulbs was ignited by the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007.  Instead of banning incandescent bulbs altogether the law set energy efficiency standards.  Starting in 2012 100w incandescent bulbs had to meet new energy efficiency standards which would be difficult for them to follow and this was then extended to lower wattage incandescent bulbs in the years to come.  

Other countries followed a similar approach to that of the USA and the EU.  Australia notably was one of the earliest countries to adopt a policy such as this announcing a phase out of incandescent bulbs in 2007 and finishing this process by 2010.  Canada introduced their own standards for lighting between 2012 and 2014 and Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea introduced other energy efficiency standards themselves.

Are incandescent light bulbs still in production?

Yes they are still being made but in a much smaller quantity compared to previous years.  Some incandescent and halogen bulbs are still required for specialised and exempt uses being we are at a stage where they cannot be completely banned.  Some of these uses include medical equipment; traffic lights and refrigerators.

Fluorescent lighting and its regulation

Fluorescent lighting soon became a popular alternative to incandescent lighting as their energy use was much lower compared to incandescent but concerns have developed over their mercury content and potential disposal issues.  As LED lighting continued to improve this has led governments to reconsider the use of fluorescent lighting. 

Are fluorescent lights illegal in the UK?

They are not illegal within the UK but their sale is becoming steadily restricted.  Following the UK leaving the EU the UK retained and expanded upon previous Ecodesign regulations looking to improve energy efficiency in regards to lighting, reducing the waste and use of hazardous materials.  This led to a lot of fluorescent lighting such as CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) needing to be phased out from 2023 onwards.  Much like incandescent technology these restrictions place an emphasis on the manufacture and sale not ownership or use.

Can you still buy fluorescent tubes in the UK?

Fluorescent lighting is still available to purchase within the UK.  As long as there is still leftover stock this can still be sold and purchased as long as new ones are not being made.  This understandably is going to lead to their availability becoming less and less.  Certain fluorescent tube lights have been given later phase out dates allowing businesses and the general public more time to shift from fluorescent to LED lighting.  

The shift to LED lighting

The goal of these policies and laws being implemented is to encourage LED lighting to be used across the board as much as possible.  LED technology is a much energy efficient and long lasting alternative to both incandescent and fluorescent lighting technology.  They use as little as 10% of the same amount of wattage as an incandescent bulb, meaning less energy being used and cheaper for everyone using them.  

In conclusion

Incandescent technology was not immediately banned but slowly phased out as much as possible with major steps being taken towards this between 2009 and 2014 for countries within the EU and the US.  Incandescent lighting can still be found for specialised requirements but are few and far between to purchase for general household lighting in many countries.  Fluorescent lighting has not yet been fully phased out in the UK looks to be following a similar pattern and is being steadily replaced with much more energy efficient LED alternatives.