Halogen lightbulb sales to be banned in the UK

Say Bye Bye to Halogen, and hello to sustainable lighting!

The UK government has announced its plans to ban the sale of most halogen lightbulbs. The change is due to happen in September, and it is said that fluorescent bulbs will be next. Who is next on the lighting witchhunt, surely not fairy lights? The cut is said to reduce yearly carbon emissions by 1.26 tonnes, which for comparison, is about the weight of an adult giraffe! The Department of Business said that removing halogen bulbs would be the equivalent of removing more than half a million cars from the UK roads. [caption id="attachment_275725" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay[/caption] As a result of the new rules, the cut in carbon emissions is the equivalent of removing more than half a million cars from the UK's roads, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) said. The Government is moving forward with the plans initially introduced by the EU in 2018, with legislation thought to be brought forward this month. Energy minister, Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: "We're phasing out old inefficient halogen bulbs for good, so we can move more quickly to longer-lasting LED bulbs, meaning less waste and a brighter and cleaner future for the UK." The move for cleaner energy should increase the popularity of LED lightbulbs, which currently accounts for two-thirds of lights now sold in Britain. By 2030, the BBC reports that 85% of all bulbs sold will be LED-based. These lights last up to five times longer, produce the same amount of light, but use up to 80% less power. https://twitter.com/UKERCHQ/status/1402558588527202305 The CEO of Signify UK, which also owns Phillips lighting, had the following to say on the matter: "Using energy-efficient LED equivalents for halogen and fluorescent lighting on an even broader scale will significantly help the UK on its journey to decarbonisation, as well as lowering the annual electricity bills for consumers." Back in 2019, the BBC published a similar piece on how LED's were dominating the lighting market. Simon Evans from Carbon Brief had the following to say:

“Although the picture is complex it’s clear that energy efficiency has played a huge role in helping the UK to decarbonise – and I don’t think it’s got the recognition it should have.

The victories in the climate crisis are not talked about enough, but this is undoubtedly one of them. Sure there is a bucket load of work still to do, but emphasising the importance of LED's is a step in the right direction.