The ban of the halogen lightbulb has taken affect from the 1st of September which means that retailers will no longer be allowed to stock halogens and instead will have to replace them with other, more energy efficient bulbs. This ban aims to cut down CO2 emissions caused by halogen bulbs which use approximately five times the amount of energy than LED bulbs. Halogens also have an average life span of 2,000 hours compared to the 25,000 hours of an LED bulb.
“Recent heatwaves and floods have clearly illustrated the reality of climate change and it’s now more urgent than ever to cut unnecessary fossil fuel energy use,” Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK chief scientist
The EU first began phasing out the more wasteful halogens in 2009 and have created a new market for cleaner, more efficient LED alternatives. Other countries are following suit and driving up environmental standards such as Australia who are set to ban all halogens by 2020. We can only hope that the post-Brexit regime will continue to do the same in the UK.
Source: The Independent