As part of the ministerial effort to reduce carbon emissions, the UK will ban the sale of halogen bulbs from September.  

The ban on fluorescent lighting, which is mainly used in offices, will take effect in September 2023. 

The government said on Wednesday that halogen bulbs are energy-consuming, expensive and inefficient. Phasing them out will reduce 1.26 million tons of carbon emissions each year—the equivalent of reducing 500,000 cars—and save household energy bills.  

The energy efficiency rating system of the bulbs will also be reset, and now the bulbs are ranked starting from AG in terms of efficiency. Ministers say this will make it easier for shoppers to choose the most environmentally friendly light bulbs. 

"We are phasing out old, low-efficiency halogen bulbs, so we can switch to longer-life LED bulbs faster, which means there is less waste in the UK, and the future is brighter and cleaner," Energy Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan Say. 

"By helping to ensure that appliances use less energy but perform well, we are saving families and helping to combat climate change." 

According to EU regulations, the UK began to phase out halogen spotlights in 2016, and subsequently phased out higher-energy halogen bulbs in 2018. The new legislation submitted to Parliament this month will ban retailers from selling halogen bulbs from September 1.  

In recent years, the replacement of LED bulbs has been reducing prices and improving quality. Which consumer watchdog? It was recently announced that most of them are now "almost no different from traditional light bulbs." 

Their service life is about five times that of traditional halogen bulbs, producing the same amount of light, but reducing power consumption by 80%.  

LED bulbs now account for about two-thirds of all bulbs sold in the UK. By the end of this decade, the government expects them to account for 85% of all bulb sales. 

Stephen Rouatt, CEO of Signify UK, who owns Philips Lighting, said: "We welcome the British government's next transition to more sustainable lighting products.

"The use of energy-saving LED equivalents for halogen and fluorescent lighting in a wider range will greatly contribute to the UK's journey to decarbonization and reduce consumers' annual electricity bills. 

The government added that starting from September, lamps with fixed bulbs that cannot be replaced will also be banned, which will prevent 100,000 tons of electricity from wasting every year.  

All of this is part of a package of measures that will make it easier for consumers to choose more environmentally friendly household appliances and repair damaged items.

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