The European Commission has proposed a delaying in the ban of inefficient light bulbs scheduled to be enforced within 2016, that would have had a major impact on the growing LED market. The Commission itself proposed to reschedule the phasing out programme, due to concerns about the price and quality of the bulbs available to consumers in the current market scenario. But several observers point out the relevant role of the concerns about the EU manufacturing jobs that would be affected by a total ban of halogen bulbs lamp.

Traditional incandescent bulbs are already banned from sale within the EU, but the next stage of the phase-out (stage six) would have required all bulbs to be energy-efficiency class B by September 2016 in order to be eligible for sale in the EU. If enforced, the regulation would have left space only to standard energy-saving bulbs (CFLs) and LED bulbs on our store shelves. The decision cost is estimated in aproximately $11 billion loss in terms of energy efficiency, without assessing the ecological downfold.

Light bulb comparison (by assets.inhabitat.com)

The European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ECEEE), in its latest reports, pointed out that halogen lamps were being used as the primary replacement for incandescent lamps, with a negative effect on the savings expected from the 2009 domestic lighting regulation. This trend is also confirmed by the relevant rise in value sales of halogen lamps in key EU markets during last years. In UK, for example, figures show a doubled value sales figure from 2009 to 2013, from almost $200 millions to almost $400 million, in a clear migration to halogen lamps reducing the expected savings.

Meanwhile LED ligthing devices are improving their performance and price level a way better than expected in the last years regulations, in a bigger challenge on the trade off between the energy saving goals and the market actual distribution and direction.