The government has pulled the plug on incandescent and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs for household use with new regulations which came into effect on Thursday, 23 May. The compulsory lighting efficiency standards were gazetted by Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel a year ago in response to the need for South African households to reduce energy consumption. Incandescent bulbs can be up to 10x more power-hungry, and fluorescents twice more consumptive than LEDs, according to My Broadband .
What sparked ban on CFL light bulbs? Despite the fact that households already started switching to the more energy efficient LED (light emitting diode) light bulbs a few years ago, many still opted to use the “old-fashioned” types which remained on the retail market. As from this week, however, it will be illegal for stores to sell light bulbs other than those that are energy-efficient. Saving energy and money The good news is that this switch will enable consumers to save a substantial amount of money in the long run.
News24 reported that households could save more than R4 000 in 10 years by swapping bulbs. Ban on light bulbs: Only LED lamps for household use While the regulations don’t name specific lamp types, they set a minimum luminous efficiency of 90 lumens per watt (lm/W) for regular electric lamps, which incandescents and CFLs don’t meet. This leaves only LED lamps for household use.
Lumens per watt refers to the energy efficiency of lighting, which is how much .