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In two meetings of the Ecodesign Regulatory Committee held in Autumn 2008, the Representatives of the Member States endorsed the Commission's draft regulation improving the energy efficiency of household lamps and of street, office and industrial lighting products. Then the draft regulations were sent to the European Parliament for consultation. The Commission has taken today the formal adoption, the last step of the comitology procedure.

The two regulations set energy efficiency, functionality and product information requirements for households lamps (in particular incandescent bulbs, halogen lamps and compact fluorescent lamps), as well as for lighting products typically used in office, street and industrial lighting (fluorescent lamps, high-intensity discharge lamps and related ballasts and luminaires).

The regulation takes into account user expectations in terms of aesthetics, functionality and health concerns. It progressively removes inefficient conventional bulbs and other lighting products from the market in a way that allows manufacturers to adapt their production for efficient alternatives.

Households will still have the choice between long-life compact fluorescent lamps that currently yield the highest energy savings (up to 75% less energy than incandescent lamps), or efficient incandescent lamps (of the halogen type) fully equivalent to conventional bulbs in terms of light quality, providing between 25% and 50% energy savings.

Depending on the number of lamps installed, an average household switching from conventional bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps could make net savings (taking into account higher purchasing price of the lamps) between 25 and 50 € a year on their electricity bill.

These regulations are only two of the Ecodesign measures that will be adopted by the Commission over the coming months, targeting many more products such as consumer electronics, white goods or heating appliances.

Source: European Commission