Halogen Light Bulbs could Disappear from Australian Stores
Halogen lights will disappear from Australia from September 2020, as the industry and federal government pivot towards more efficient and environmentally-friendly LED lighting.
The Victorian government has launched a victorian energy upgrade program to achieve the goal.
A ban on halogen bulbs, which use four times the energy of LED globes, was announced at a meeting of state and federal environment ministers.
"Many consumers already prefer LED products and sales volumes of halogen lamps continue to decrease," The council's chief executive, Richard Mulcahy said. "Good quality LED lamps last five to 15 times longer than halogen lamps and at most will consume one-quarter of the energy to produce the same light output.”
Most domestic halogen lamps could be directly replaced by LED ones, he said. The government estimates the upgrade to led lights will save Australian consumers $1.48bn over 10 years.
A 2016 survey from the department of industry found 32% of households were using halogen lights (mains voltage and low voltage) and 15% LEDs. A further 13% used incandescents, 31% compact fluorescent lamps, and 9% linear fluorescents.
Overall, 55% of homes were using high-efficiency lighting such as LEDs and fluorescents, while 45% used low-efficiency bulbs such as halogen and incandescents, the report found.
