Illinois’ Ban On Incandescent Light Bulbs Begins This Week

There's been a lot of stuff going on over the last three years, so it's completely understandable if you don't remember an announcement regarding lightbulbs that was made back in May of 2022 by the United States Department of Energy.

If you remember what was said last May, feel free to skip ahead to the next paragraph, but if you don't, here's a quick refresher from Energy.gov:

By raising energy efficiency standards for lightbulbs, we’re putting $3 billion back in the pockets of American consumers every year and substantially reducing domestic carbon emissions,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The lighting industry is already embracing more energy efficient products, and this measure will accelerate progress to deliver the best products to American consumers and build a better and brighter future.

All that raising, embracing, and putting money back into pockets comes at the cost of the incandescent lightbulb being done away with on a permanent basis here in Illinois, and across the country.

The U.S. Department Of Energy Warned Again Back In January That This Was Going To Happen On August 1st Of 2023, And They Weren't Kidding About That

And would you look at that...tomorrow is Tuesday, August 1st, so let the banning begin. While it won’t be illegal to own incandescent light bulbs, it will be illegal for stores to sell them and companies to manufacture them.

The government's stated goal was to get rid of lightbulbs that produce less than 45 lumens per watt, and that criteria definitely affects:

• Traditional A19 bulbs
• Traditional PAR30 bulbs
• Traditional Decor bulbs

The Department of Energy says LED lights provide more light using 75% less energy and last 25 times longer than incandescent light bulbs. Plus, LED lights are estimated to save families about $100 per year.

Are There Any Exceptions? What Happens If I Have Halogen Lights?

SuperBrightLEDs.com:

This ban just means when those bulbs go out, you will have to find an LED alternative to replace them.

There are some bulbs exempt from this ban. The ban currently only applies to bulbs that have suitable LED counterparts. Exempt bulbs are specialty bulbs with specific applications, like heat lamps, appliances, grow lamps, etc.

Unfortunately for you halogen light lovers (assuming that is a thing), halogens are also being banned because they're incandescent lights that fall below the 45 lumens per watt threshold.