Incandescent Light Bulb Ban Takes Effect After 16 Years

Next time you need to replace a lightbulb in your home, you will not be able to buy an incandescent bulb. Instead, you will have to purchase a CFL or LED bulb under new regulations that took effect on August 1.

The regulations, which were first proposed in 2007, ban the sale of any lightbulbs that do not emit a minimum of 45 lumens per watt. Incandescent bulbs emit about 15 lumens per watt.

That leaves CFL bulbs, which emit between 50–70 lumens per watt, and LED bulbs, which provide at least 75 lumens per watt.

Certain bulbs are exempt from the rule, including appliance lamps such as fridge and oven lights, bug lamps, infrared lamps, plant lights, and floodlights.

The regulations have been in the works since 2007 and have faced stiff opposition. The rules were pulled by the Trump administration and then reinstated by the Biden administration.

The Department of Energy said that the new regulations would save consumers about $3 billion per year on their utility bills while cutting carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years.

Officials said they are working to strengthen the regulations to require all bulbs to emit at least 120 lumens per watt by the end of 2024. That would effectively ban CFL bulbs and some LED bulbs.