Latest news
Household Lamps to become more energy efficient
3rd February 2010
A new set of energy efficiency requirements for lamps, set by the European Union (EU), started to come into effect last September.
Traditional incandescent and halogen lamps will be gradually phased out from the market by the end of 2012. However, lamps that are banned will not be removed from the shops – retailers are allowed to
sell their existing stocks.
The requirements differentiate between lamps that are ‘clear’ (transparent) and non-clear.
Non-clear lamps will need to reach the A-class according to the EU’s lamp energy label, which means energy savings of 75% or more as compared to traditional incandescent lamps. At present, only compact fluorescent lamps and LED lamps can achieve such high efficiency.
Meanwhile, inefficient clear lamps will also be phased out gradually. As from last September, equivalents of clear incandescent lamps of 100 W or more must be made with more efficient technology, such as efficient halogens. This limit will be moved down to lower wattages gradually until 2012 (75 W in 2010, 60 W in 2011, 40 W and below in 2012).
New requirements relating to the functionality of lamps (starting times, lifetimes etc) have also been introduced such that only quality lamps meeting users’ expectations will be allowed on the market.
Additional product information will also be required on the packaging to help consumers make the right choice for the intended purpose.
According to the EU, the measure will save annually some 40 TWh of electrical energy by 2020, the equivalent of 11 million European household’s energy usage for the same period. It will also lead to a reduction of up to 15 million tons of CO2 emissions annually, contributing to the EU objective of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020.
Further measures are planned for reflector lamps such as those used in downlighters and spotlights. Perhaps these measures will reduce the risk of downlighters becoming the source of fires.
