EU Phase Out

An overview of the changes due to the EU directive

The European Commission has decided to prohibit the sale of particularly energy-intensive lamps for household use in a series of stages up to 2016. This is good news, not only for the environment, but also for the consumer: energy-saving lamps save money, energy and CO₂. Indeed, even today, you have a broad range of OSRAM energy-saving lamps to choose from. So that you know exactly what to expect – here are the most important changes at a glance:

Products due to be prohibited over the long term

Stage	Date	The following lamps may no longer be put into circulation
1	1 September 2009	Frosted lamps (apart from Energy Class A) as well as clear incandescent lamps of 80W or above
2	1 September 2010	clear incandescent lamps over 65W
3	1 September 2011	clear incandescent lamps over 45W
4	1 September 2012	clear incandescent lamps over 7W
5	1 September 2013	raising of quality requirements
6	1 September 2016	lamps with Energy Class C

Incidentally, spotlamps will not be regulated until a second directive is drawn up at the end of 2009. This will then have to be implemented as of September 2010.

Changes on product names and packaging
In addition the EU directive provides that the term “energy-saving" may only be applied to products with the Energy Level A. In the future, packaging for energy-saving products is to provide information very simply on wattage, energy level, light colour etc. with the help of pictograms. The new directive will also lay down new minimum quality requirements for lamps – to the benefit of the consumer.

The consequences oft he EU directive for the consumer
The new EU directive does not mean that incandescent lamps may no longer be used in the household. It solely regulates retail sales. Anyone still using incandescent lamps at home is not obliged to replace them from 1 September 2009 – even if this would be worthwhile. Energy-efficient products are indeed initially more expensive to buy; however in most cases they already pay off after about a year, due to the substantially lower energy costs.

These products are replacing the traditional incandescent lamp
Primarily you have two product groups to choose from, which you can use as a direct replacement for your incandescent lamp: energy-saving halogen lamps and compact fluorescent lamps. Energy-saving halogen lamps save up to 30 percent energy, compact fluorescent lamps up to 80 percent. Because energy-efficient lamps achieve the same output of light as your former incandescent lamp, using less electricity, you should take note of the new wattages.

Wattage of your traditional incandescent lamp	Wattage of your new halogen lamp	Wattage of your new compact fluorescent lamp
25 W	18 W	5 W
35 W/40 W	28 W	7 W
60 W	42 W	11 W
75 W	52 W	15 W
100 W	70 W	20 W
150 W	105 W	30 W

 

Important tips for buying a lamp
Good to know: energy-saving lamps are available in various light colours. The halogen lamps produce 1-to-1 the same light as you are familiar with from your incandescent lamp. Due to the way they function, the modern energy-saving lamps, namely the compact fluorescent lamps, emit a slightly different light than the incandescent lamp does. Therefore when you are buying the lamp, be sure to look out for the message "Light colour: warm white".

Press contact:

OSRAM GmbH

Lars Stühlen
Tel :+49 89 6213-2597
Fax :+49 89 6213-3457
Email :l.stuehlen@osram.com

OSRAM GmbH

Nadine Müller
Tel :+49 89 - 62 13 – 37 69
Fax :+49 89 – 62 13 – 34 57
Email :nadine.mueller@OSRAM.de