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Coming Soon: More Light Bulb Bans

Coming Soon: More Light Bulb Bans

Despite the media hype surrounding the phase-out of incandescent light bulbs, most news outlets failed to mention that manufacturers will also phase out other popular light bulbs this year. These other phase-outs—which are not part of the EISA 2007 legislation, but rather 2009 US Department of Energy regulations—will affect some of the most popular bulbs on the market today: T12 fluorescent tubes and Halogen PAR lamps.

T12 Fluorescent Phase-Out

The T12 fluorescent tube phase-out has been a long time coming. More efficient T8 and T5 lamp types have all but replaced the once ubiquitous T12 already, perhaps because the standard 4-foot T12 lamp burns a whopping 40 watts, while its T8 replacement uses between 25 and 32 watts. To anyone who has installed a fluorescent fixture in the past 5 years, it’s been a no brainer: Go with the T8 and save up to 60 watts per fixture.*

Here’s a partial list of T12 lamps affected by 2009 DOE regulations:

The DOE regulations also affect some T8 lamps, but those affected aren’t very popular. Though the phase-out doesn’t take effect until July 14th of this year, you’d be hard-pressed to find a T12 lamp in any local hardware store, so you’ll have to check online if you intend to stock up.

The full list of fluorescent phase-outs can be found in this summary from GE.

Halogen PAR Phase-Out

Perhaps more significant than the T12 phase-out is the elimination of most Halogen PAR38, PAR30, and PAR20 lamps. The ban covers most Halogen PARs between 40 to 205 watts. Do you have a PAR38 in an outdoor fixture or a PAR20 in a track light? Chances are, you won’t be able to get either of those after July 14th, 2012 when the ban takes effect.

Fortunately, there’s a silver lining to the Halogen PAR ban. Most eliminated PAR lamps will be replaced with IR Halogens, which have a special infrared coating on the Halogen capsule to redirect heat inward and increase the efficiency of the bulb. This allows them to meet the minimum efficiency requirement of around 18 LPW. Other options include CFL and LED PAR bulbs and even some self-ballasted metal halide PAR lamps.

Your Thoughts?

So what do you think? Are these regulations a step in the right direction, or are they a case of government overreach? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, or connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.

*Calculated assuming a 4-lamp troffer using 25W F32T8 lamps instead of 40W F40T12 lamps.

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