The government plans to phase out all incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent tubes by fiscal 2020 and light up the nation with highly energy-efficient light-emitting diodes (LED), according to sources.
The policy was conceived ahead of the 21st Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change scheduled for the end of the month in Paris.
Replacing the light bulbs would reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in Japan and promote the government’s efforts to develop a greener nation.
But the policy could also put a strain on households and businesses by depriving them of the option of buying inexpensive light sources.
A rapid shift to LED light sources is expected to occur when light bulbs and fluorescent tubes are no longer imported and domestic stocks run dry. That situation could lead to a reduction of costs amid increased demand.
The government has been controlling fluorescent tubes and LED lamps under the “top-runner system,” a policy that restricts production and imports of new merchandise unless it performs better than the most energy-efficient example in the same product category.
Incandescent light bulbs, fluorescent tubes and LED lamps currently have their own categories. But the three will be combined into a singular lamp category under an energy efficiency action plan expected to be established around summer 2016.
That move would effectively take light bulbs and fluorescent tubes out of the game because LED lamps are far more energy efficient than the two traditional light sources.
The government plans to make these changes through revisions of the Rational Use of Energy Law, commonly known as the energy conservation law.
(This article was written by Shinya Takagi and Keiko Nannichi.)
Original Article on Asahi Shimbun: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201511260040
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