The Lighting Council Australia (LCA) is calling on Minister for Energy Chris Bowen to intervene and stop the proposed new red tape which is expected to increase the price of light bulbs.

The Commonwealth government is proposing Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and labelling requirements for all light bulbs, including LEDs.

“MEPS labelling works well for appliances such as fridges and washing machines, but there are over 150,000 different types of LED lights on the market. The scheme is completely impractical,” LCA chief executive Malcolm Richards says.

“LEDs are already awash in the market and vastly superior in energy efficiency compared to alternatives such as Halogen or CFL, so this scheme will not achieve anything.”

Malcolm says suppliers estimate this regulatory proposal will increase the retail price of LED light bulbs by at least 35%, adding thirty to forty million dollars in costs to the building market per year.