Government eases new regulations on light bulbs

OTTAWA — What’s retro could be new again in light fixtures across Canada.

The Conservative government is easing Canada’s energy efficiency regulations for light bulbs, in a move that will align standards with the United States and provide more consumer choice — but allow lessefficient bulbs and result in smaller energy savings and greenhouse gas reductions.

Proposed changes announced Friday to federal energy efficiency regulations set to take effect in 2014 would now permit less efficient incandescent halogen bulbs — which are allowed in the U.S. but would not have met new Canadian regulations — to be sold in Canada.

The mercury-free incandescent halogen bulbs closely resemble and work like the traditional incandescent bulbs that will slowly disappear from stores, but are more efficient. However, they still chew up more power than energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

Ottawa still plans on phasing out the traditional, inefficient incandescent bulbs under the new regulations, which have already been delayed two years.

The 100- and 75-watt replacement incandescent bulbs manufactured on or after Jan. 1, 2014, will no longer be able to be imported into Canada or shipped between provinces.

Similarly, 60- and 40-watt traditional incandescent bulbs manufactured on or after Dec. 31, 2014 won’t be allowed (although bulbs manufactured prior to those dates can continue to be sold in Canada until stock is depleted).

The government maintains the proposed changes would meet consumer demands for more lighting choices, allow for greater economic integration with the U.S. and also addressing concerns about mercury contained in the more efficient compact fluorescent lamps.

By 2025, the federal government expects the greenhouse gas reductions from the proposed, softer regulations would be as much as 2.4 megatonnes less per year than under the current standards that would not permit the incandescent halogen bulbs.

In 2008, the federal government amended its energy-efficiency regulations to phase out inefficient light bulbs. The new standards were set to take effect in January 2012 for 100and 75-watt bulbs, and December 2012 for 60- and 40-watts.

But in 2011, the government delayed the new rules by two years until 2014 to consult more with Canadians and allow more time to establish programs to dispose of the CFL bulbs.