Lighting

Lighting accounts for around 10% of electricity usage in households, and 18–40% of in commercial premises.

The good news is that we can achieve significant energy savings (and reductions on our electricity bills) by replacing inefficient lights with efficient CFL or LED alternatives – CFL and LED light bulbs are better value for money than incandescent and halogen light bulbs. They use around 75 per cent less electricity to produce the same amount of light and last significantly longer before needing to be replaced.

A small change makes a big difference. For example, by replacing 10 halogen light bulbs to an efficient alternative you can expect to save around $650 over 10 years on your electricity bill.

On 20 April 2018, Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Energy Ministers agreed to further improve lighting energy efficiency regulation by phasing out inefficient halogen lamps in Australia and introducing minimum standards for LED lamps in Australia and New Zealand in line with European Union (EU) standards.

The phase out will remove remaining incandescent light bulbs and a range of halogen light bulbs from the Australian market, where an equivalent LED light bulb is available.

Timing of the new regulation will align with revised EU minimum standards that will apply to LED light bulbs (planned for September 2021).  The details of the new EU regulation are expected to be final in 2019.

This decision is expected to deliver around $1 billion in benefits to households and businesses, through savings on their electricity bills and reduced light bulb replacement costs.

This decision was informed by advice from the Lighting Energy Efficiency Advisory Group, setup to operate in an advisory capacity to COAG Energy Council officials, who provide advice to COAG Energy Council Ministers on lighting policy.

The Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Program will continue to seek stakeholder advice in implementing this important decision.

Download the Decision Regulation Impact Statement for Lighting.

• Incandescent Lamps
• Linear Fluorescent Lamps
• Transformers & Converters for Halogens
• Street and Public Lighting
• Compact Fluorescent Lamps
• Ballasts for Fluorescent Lamps
• Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

Specialist lighting retailer training

Lighting retail stores are well positioned to assist customers to make lighting choices that result in more efficient energy use and good light quality for their homes.

The specialist lighting retailer training package consists of a retailer guide and suite of residential case studies designed to help retailers support their customers to choose efficient lighting solutions that meet their needs.

Specialist lighting retailer training

Training Guide: The Basics of Efficient Lighting

The Basics of Efficient Lighting reference manual is a joint initiative of the E3 Program and the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA).

The manual introduces the basic concepts of light and lighting, and explores the key requirements of a lighting system and what standards need to be met. It also explains what is meant by sustainability and energy efficiency and how good lighting design can contribute to these.

Basics of Efficient Lighting

The light globe conversion table compares the light output of equivalent traditional incandescent light bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), mains voltage halogen lamps and light emitting diodes (LEDs).

LED Light Output (Lumens)	Power (Watts)
	Old style incandescent	Mains voltage halogen	CFL	LED
250	25	18	4-6	3-4
500	40	28	7-9	5-8
800	60	42	11-14	8-12
1100	75	52	14-17	11-17
1500	100	70	19-23	15-23