Fluorescent phase‑out accelerates

Fluorescent tubes are disappearing from more state markets, pushing building owners to replace failed lamps with light-emitting diode, or LED, products instead. (maine.gov) California barred new sales of screw- and bayonet-base compact fluorescent lamps on January 1, 2024, then extended the ban to pin-base compact fluorescent lamps and linear fluorescent lamps on January 1, 2025. Oregon and Colorado put statewide bans on linear fluorescent lamps in place on January 1, 2025. (ab2208.com) (oregon.public.law) (colorado.public.law) Maine joined that group on January 1, 2026, when its Department of Environmental Protection said consumers and retailers could no longer sell or distribute mercury-containing compact fluorescent or linear fluorescent bulbs. Hawaii’s statewide ban on pin-base compact fluorescent and linear fluorescent lamps also took full effect on January 1, 2026. (maine.gov) (law.justia.com) The phase-out is moving state by state rather than through one national fluorescent-tube ban. Vermont began restricting specific mercury-containing four-foot linear fluorescent bulbs on January 1, 2024, Rhode Island moved to ban most pin-based and linear fluorescent bulbs on January 1, 2025, and Washington has scheduled its ban for January 1, 2029. (dec.vermont.gov) (rilegislature.gov) (apps.ecology.wa.gov) The push is aimed at mercury as much as electricity. The Environmental Protection Agency says fluorescent bulbs and compact fluorescent lamps contain mercury and recommends recycling them through local programs instead of putting them in regular trash. (epa.gov) For businesses, the practical problem is not that installed fluorescent fixtures suddenly became illegal to own. The sales bans generally target new manufactured lamps, which means offices, schools, warehouses, and apartment buildings can keep using existing tubes until they fail, then face a shrinking replacement market. (ab2208.com) (oregon.public.law) (colorado.public.law) That is why trade guides are telling owners to budget now for retrofits instead of buying emergency replacements later. The Environmental Protection Agency’s lamp-recycling guidance for businesses says facilities should assess their inventories, select recyclers, train employees, and include recycling costs in their annual budgets. (epa.gov) (dataspan.com) The replacement technology is already established. The Department of Energy says a good-quality LED bulb can last three to five times longer than a compact fluorescent lamp, and the University of Michigan said in a 2023 study that LED replacements for linear recessed systems were 18 percent to 44 percent more efficient than T8 fluorescent lamps. (energy.gov) (news.umich.edu) Lighting specifications are also shifting beyond a one-for-one bulb swap. Messe Frankfurt’s building-technology coverage says designers are increasingly specifying “human-centric lighting,” which uses changing brightness and color through the day in offices, schools, and healthcare spaces, a trend made practical by digital LED controls. (messefrankfurt.com) (openpr.com) Federal rules are also tightening around some other lamps. The Department of Energy finalized new efficiency standards for general service lamps in April 2024, with compliance for newly produced bulbs beginning in July 2028, adding another reason distributors and property managers are reworking long-term lighting inventories now. (energy.gov) The result is a slower-looking shift that is already changing purchasing decisions. In states where bans have taken effect, the old fluorescent fixture may still be on the ceiling, but the next lamp order is increasingly LED. (maine.gov) (apps.ecology.wa.gov)