From September this year, the EU begins to ban the import of these halogen lamps...
On September 1, 2016, the European Union implemented a ban on certain types of halogen bulbs under European Commission Regulation No. 1194/2012 (hereinafter referred to as the Commission). This regulation establishes eco-design requirements for directional lamps and other lighting products in the EU market.
Under EU law, a "directional lamp" is defined as a luminaire with at least 80% of its light output within a solid angle of "π sr" (equivalent to a cone with an apex angle of 120°). From September 1, 2016, directional lamps placed on the EU market must comply with the energy-saving requirements set out in Table 2 of Annex III of Regulation No. 1194/2012 (also known as "Phase 3").
The "Phase 3" regulations took effect on September 1, 2016, and apply to directional lamps to be placed on the EU market. Reports indicate that, following the implementation of the regulations, GU10 halogen spotlights and PAR30 halogen floodlights are prohibited from being placed on the market.
However, this regulation does not apply to directional lamps that were placed on the EU market before September 1, 2016, and were already sold on shelves or stored in warehouses before that date. Reports indicate that EU retailers (especially those in the UK), disregarding the existing ban, have stockpiled large quantities of directional halogen spotlights. Although these halogen spotlights do not meet the strict energy efficiency standards, they were placed on the EU market before September 1, 2016, and may still be sold in stores today.
These old-style halogen spotlights are popular among consumers because they are cheaper than LED spotlights. Reports indicate that supermarkets and large hardware stores in the UK have stockpiled tens of millions of old-style halogen spotlights, ensuring that customers can still purchase them for years to come.
According to Regulation 1194/2012, the ban took effect on September 1, 2016, paving the way for a subsequent expansion of the ban's scope to prohibit the sale of low energy-efficiency "Class D" halogen lamps. This ban was originally scheduled to take effect on September 1, 2016, but the authorities postponed the effective date by two years, to September 1, 2018.
The EU has expanded the scope of the halogen bulb ban based on Commission Regulation 244/2009. Regulation 244/2009 establishes ecodesign requirements for non-directional household lamps on the market, including non-directional household lamps sold for non-domestic use or used in other products. "Household lamps" refers to lamps used for room lighting in homes, but does not include special-purpose lamps; non-directional lamps are by nature not "directional".
Commission Regulation 244/2009 stipulates that non-directional household lamps must comply with certain lamp performance requirements set out in Annex II, Table 1. The "Stage Six" of the regulation (originally scheduled to take effect from September 1, 2016) introduced stricter lamp performance requirements; in other words, low-efficiency "Class D" halogen bulbs were originally supposed to be prohibited from being placed on the EU market from September 1, 2016. However, in 2015, the Commission reviewed Regulation 244/2009 in light of technological progress, and then decided to postpone the implementation date of Stage Six of the regulation by two years, to September 1, 2018.