The end is here

This is likely to be my last post here and I will not renew the domain or hosting when it comes up for renewal next year. We have lost the war. In August the EU energy directorate published amendments to the existing regulations principally to deal with the delay to Stage 6 of the 2009 regulation, the original ban on incandescent lamps. This allows for the halogen replacement lamps to remain on the market until September 2018. What was not changed is there is no extension to the ban on incandescent and mains halogen reflector lamps that go in September 2016.

During the consultation, the issue of issue of “special lamps” being misused and to a large extent missold for normal domestic use. These are largely “Rough Service” GLS lamps intended for inspection lamps and high vibration use such as on machinery, however the principle difference between these and traditional incandescent lamp is a slightly heavier filament resulting in slightly lower output and efficiency and 5 rather than 3 filament supports. The other “special lamp” that has become exceedingly common and very fashionable in bars, restaurants coffee shops etc. is the squirrel cage single filament lamp. These are sold as special lamps for exterior use. During the consultation no solid proposals or draft language for this was presented to the consultations.

The regulation as published in August included the following wording:

“Incandescent lamps longer than 60 mm are not special purpose lamps, if they are resistant only to mechanical shock or vibrations and are not incandescent traffic signalling lamps; or they possess a rated power higher than 25 W and claim to have specific features that are also present in lamps having higher energy efficiency classes according to Regulation (EU) No 874/2012 (such as zero EMC emissions, CRI value higher or equal to 95, and UV emissions less or equal than 2 mW per 1 000 lm);’”

This will absolutely ban rough service lamps and cage filament lamps effectively taking the last conventional incandescent lamps out of the market. This will leave only oven lamps, fridge lamps and the mains halogen that will go in 2018.

This week the draft regulation to replace all the existing lamp regulations was published, surprisingly close on the heels of the consultant’s final report published last week. The proposed efficiency requirements are 60 Lm/W in 2018, 80Lm/W in 2020 and 120 Lm/w in 2024. If this regulation is adopted then the only light sources available to the market after 2020 will be LED, T5 fluorescent and the most efficient metal halide lamps and, of course both low and high pressure sodium.

So the reason for this campaign site has gone. I will be continuing to work on consultation to try and ensure future regulation is reasonable and as rational as possible given the very deficient process that results in these regulations.

Kevan Shaw 10 November 2015