On 9th June 2021, the UK government made a press release about the forthcoming Halogen light bulb ban.
The proposed UK legislation will apply from 1st September 2021 with a one month transition allowance.
The following light bulbs cannot be placed on the market* after 1st October 2021:
- Compact Fluorescent Helix Light Bulbs
- Halogen Linear R7s Lightbulbs (over 2,700 lumens)
- 12V Halogen Spotlight Bulbs (MR11, MR16)
- Lower performing LED lamps
Also, the following light bulbs cannot be placed on the market* after 1st September 2023:
- Fluorescent T8 Tubes (2 foot, 4 foot, 5 foot only)
- Halogen G9 capsules
- 12V Halogen capsules (G4 and GY6.35 caps)
It is worth noting that the term ‘cannot be placed on the market’ does not mean that these light bulbs cannot be sold, the legal definition means that goods already in suppliers’ warehouses are already considered as ‘on the market’ and are allowed to be sold after these dates.
We, at Lightbulbs Direct, will continue to sell these lamps until we run out of stock.
We also provide excellent, energy efficient, LED replacements for these light bulbs:
- LED GLS Light Bulbs
- LED Linear Light Bulbs or LED Floodlight Fittings
- LED MR16 Spotlight Bulbs and LED MR11 Spotlight Bulbs
- LED T8 Tubes
- LED G9 Capsules
- LED 12V Capsules
The LIA (Lighting Industry Association) have released this statement in response to the UK Governments press release:
The Government has issued a press release outlining the impact of the upcoming new lighting regulations. The press release contains a number of errors which is causing confusion among suppliers and consumers alike.
To clarify the situation, the Lighting Industry Association has released the following statement:
The UK legislation, due for publication in the summer, mirrors that also applying in the EU and relates to the “placing on the market” of products, this allows products in stock at manufacturers, retailers etc. to continue to be sold until stocks are exhausted. It is not an instant sales ban!
Note: there is a legal definition of ‘placing on the market’ which may mean that certain goods in suppliers’ warehouses are already considered as such.
The proposed UK legislation which applies from 1st September is expected to have a one month transition allowance.
The following lamps cannot be placed on the market after 1st October 2021:
- Self-ballasted Compact Fluorescent retrofit lamps (caps B22, E27 etc)
- Linear Halogen R7s lamps over 2,700 lumens
- 12V Halogen reflectors lamps (MR11/GU4, MR16/GU5.3 etc)
- Lower performing LED lamps
The following lamps cannot be placed on the market after 1st September 2023:
- Linear fluorescent lamps T8 2 foot, 4 foot, 5 foot
- Mains voltage Halogen capsules with G9 cap
- 12V Halogen capsules with G4/GY6.35 cap
Note: there are several exemptions in the regulations for specialist lamps and applications.
Lighting fixtures/fittings (luminaires) with non-replaceable/fixed lamps are not banned but this type of design is being discouraged in the future with a technical justification being required for these designs.
The following errors in the Government press release are those leading to the confusion:
Halogen light bulbs to be banned from this September – with fluorescent light bulbs to follow suit
This suggests that all halogen lamps are banned from this September- this is not the case, some will continue until 2023. Those lamps that are banned from September 1st may still be available for sale if they were first placed on the market before that date.
Legislation being brought forward this month will also include the removal of fluorescent lights from shelves from September 2023.
This is also not the case, only some lengths of T8 fluorescent lamps will be banned from September 2023, other types of fluorescent lamps will still be available.
The new legislation would mean retailers will no longer be able to sell the majority of halogen bulbs for general household use in the UK from 1 September.
This is incorrect, retailers will be able to sell through existing stocks and any products placed on the market before 1st September may also be sold. Some types will continue to be allowed after 1st September (as above).
The plans also include a ban from September on the sale of lighting fixtures with fixed bulbs that can’t be replaced – meaning the fixtures have to be thrown away.
This is misleading – new measures have been introduced which encourage the design of light fittings which can be repaired, or the light source and control gear replaced. There is not a blanket ban on lighting products where these components cannot be replaced if the manufacturer provides a technical justification for this case such as safety, water ingress or other reason.
The LIA has communicated these errors to the Government department responsible for the press release.
Read the Government full press article End of halogen light bulbs spells brighter and cleaner future.
For a historic time-line of the light bulb ban, read our article The Light Bulb Ban – What and When?
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Are Philips 7724 EVA 100W GY6.35 12V Projector Lamp bulbs to be banned as I cannot find a suitable LED replacement?
Those lightbulbs will be banned from 1st September 2023 – unfortunately we do not stock them.
Puzzled that this says nothing about halogen GU10s?
Halogen GU10’s where banned in September 2016 so are not part of this directive – For information about the previous ban, see our previous article, The Light Bulb Ban – What and When?
Thank you. It’s great to see a supplier that keeps its customers informed of things like this and also provides alternatives when things are decommissioned
Thanks Roger – we’ve just added a new post relating to the change in energy labels that may be of interest.
We have a food warmer which is equipped with 250W halogen bulb to give heat to the food. Should this this bulb on the food warmer be banend?
There are some exemptions – can you inform us of the specific light bulb you use so we can look into it in more detail?
The halogen bulb used for food warm is with power 250W and E27 base. Have asked the food warmer factory. Fluorescent bulb or LED bulb cannot replace it as those are not able to give enough heat to warm the food. Pls advise.
We don’t sell anything like that, but could a 250W Infrared light bulb be suitable? Alternatively, searching google for 250W Halogen E27 produces some other products that may be suitable.