In LED push, Japan to effectively ban fluorescent, incandescent lamp output

In LED push, Japan to effectively ban fluorescent, incandescent lamp output
The government plans to tighten its energy-efficiency standards for lamps to effectively ban production and imports of fluorescents and incandescents, sources said Thursday.
The move is aimed at promoting the replacement of such lamps with light-emitting diode ones, in an effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
According to the industry ministry, the adoption rate for LED lamps in Japan came to 9 percent in fiscal 2012, which ended in March 2013, while the government targets achieving almost 100 percent by fiscal 2030.
LED lamps are durable for longer periods of time than other lamps are, and their power consumption is about one eighth of that of incandescents.
But LED lamps are much more expensive. In large home electronics stores in the country, a 60-watt fluorescent bulb is usually priced at around ¥700, much lower than some ¥2,000 for an LED one.
Under the current “top runner” system, energy-saving requirements are set for each product category, based on the highest energy-efficient performance in each category.
LED and other lamps are treated separately in the system, but the government now plans to unify lamp categories so that only LED lamps can meet requirements for the unified category.
Details of the plan are expected to be drawn up by an industry ministry panel by the end of fiscal 2016.