Introducing MEPS for LEDs alongside the phase out of halogens and incandescent lamps is crucial to ensure all consumers can access good quality LEDs at affordable prices.

Australia was once a leader in regulating for better lighting energy performance. In 2009, we were one of the first countries in the world to begin phasing-out inefficient incandescent and halogen lamps.

We are now lagging well behind. In Europe, MEPS for LEDs came into force in September 2021, and regulations also exist in China, Singapore and Malaysia.

Successive Australian governments have identified the need to phase out the inefficient incandescent bulbs and halogens that remain on the market and bring in MEPS for LEDs.

Analysis of the costs and benefits of the proposed regulations was completed in 2018. This analysis showed MEPS would deliver a net benefit of $1.448 billion, saving consumers $1.396 billion in reduced energy costs by 2030.

In late 2022, an exposure draft of the new regulations was released, with consultation taking place over 2023.

Six years after approving the Decision Regulatory Impact Statement, Australian Energy Ministers are now meeting to decide whether to implement these standards.

There should be no further delay in implementing these standards. Without minimum standards, the quality of LEDs on the market varies significantly. Studies have found there are LED lamps for sale in Australia that perform 10-30 percent below the minimum levels proposed in the regulations, [1] with little to protect consumers from substandard products claiming to deliver more light than they really do.

Delaying these minimum standards would stop Australian households from enjoying the benefits of more efficient lighting, pose risks for consumers and get in the way of efforts to drive down electricity bills and emissions.

We urge Energy Ministers to implement these important regulatory changes which will bring Australia back in line with the world’s leading countries on energy performance and provide a baseline of quality for Australian consumers.

The organisations listed above, representing a broad cross-section of industry and community groups, have come together to express our strong support for this important consumer protection measure, and to warn against further delay.

According to eec.org.au