2012 is an unusual year for global lighting as government around the world begins to commit in promoting energy-saving policies of banning incandescent lamps, and the cost of LED lighting keeps to fall; these factors help to stimulate the growth of the energy-saving market.
Policies of banning incandescent lamps take effect As the energy shortage raises energy-saving awareness around the world, incandescent lamps have to fade out from lighting industry. EU, USA, Japan, China have worked out the roadmap of banning incandescent lamps.
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Europe bans inefficient 60 watt light bulbs from 1 September 2011 as well as bans the manufacture and import of all incandescent bulbs since September 1st 2012
Europe’s households have set off widely banning inefficient 60 watt light bulbs from 1 September 2011.The inefficient 60 watt light bulbs are being taken place of CFLs and LEDs. Halogen lights will remain on the shelves but are only marginally more efficient than incandescent bulbs. And European Union legislation will ban the manufacture and import of all incandescent bulbs since September 1st 2012.
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America starts incandescent light bulb phase-Out on Jan. 1, 2012
America started to phase out traditional 100-watt incandescent light on Jan. 1. According to the bipartisan law mandating the phase out, which President George W. Bush signed in 2007, it takes to three steps to phase out incandescent lights. The first to go, beginning on Jan. 1, is the traditional 100-watt, followed in January 2013 with the 75-watt version and in January 2014 with the 40-watt and 60-watt bulbs.
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Japanese government calls for halting production and sales of incandescent bulbs
Japanese government has encouraged major electronics retailers and home appliance makers to voluntarily halt production and sales of incandescent bulbs to save power this summer. And Panasonic has announced to stop production of incandescent bulbs used in household market before October 31th, 2012.
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Chinese incandescent bulb phase-out policy starting from October 1, 2012
The Chinese government announced a time frame for the phasing-out of incandescent lamps. China will ban imports and sales of 100W and higher incandescent bulbs starting from October 1, 2012, and ban on 60W and higher incandescent bulbs starting October 1, 2014. October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016 will serve as an evaluation period. Starting on October 1, 2016 the ban will be extended to 15W and higher bulbs, or adjusted according to the results of the evaluation. 
LED Lighting takes off As incandescent lamps fade out, based on the absence of dangerous chemicals like mercury and minerals in the product and an accompanying significant reduction in energy consumption depending on the application, LED is considered "green" lighting source to debut lighting stage. It is expected that over the next 5-10 years, the U.S. and the world will transition from incandescent and fluorescent fixtures to LED technology, which is superior in terms of lifecycle, operating costs and energy consumption.
