Yes, incandescent bulbs are still banned from sale in the United States. A federal efficiency standard that took full effect in 2023 requires most household bulbs to produce at least 45 lumens per watt, and standard incandescents produce roughly 13. You can keep using any incandescent bulbs you already own, and a short list of specialty types remains legal to sell, but the familiar 60-watt pear-shaped bulb is gone from store shelves and won’t be coming back.
What the Rule Actually Prohibits
The ban is a sales ban, not a use ban. The Department of Energy’s 2022 rule, codified at 10 CFR 430.32, prohibits manufacturing, importing, or selling any “general service lamp” that falls below 45 lumens per watt.1eCFR. 10 CFR 430.32 – Energy and Water Conservation Standards2Federal Register. Energy Conservation Program – Energy Conservation Standards for General Service Lamps The authority traces back to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which directed DOE to set and update lighting efficiency standards.3GovInfo. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
A typical 60-watt incandescent puts out about 800 lumens, which works out to roughly 13 lumens per watt. Halogen incandescents top out around 20. Neither comes close to the threshold. DOE phased enforcement through 2023, starting with manufacturers and importers and extending down to distributors and retailers, and the supply chain was largely cleared of non-compliant bulbs by mid-2023.
Nothing in the rule tells you to throw away the incandescents in your closet or unscrew the ones already in your fixtures. If you have a stash, you can burn through it.
Which Bulbs Are Covered
A “general service lamp” is defined broadly: bulbs that run on standard household voltage, produce between 310 and 3,300 lumens, and use a common screw-in or pin base.4Federal Register. Energy Conservation Program – Definitions for General Service Lamps That captures the pear-shaped A19 bulbs in table lamps and ceiling fixtures, plus many globe and reflector shapes.
The 2022 rulemaking widened the net. Earlier versions of the standard exempted several common types, including three-way bulbs and certain reflector lamps, and DOE pulled many of those back under the rule. If a bulb hits the lumen, voltage, and base-type criteria and isn’t specifically excluded, it’s covered.
Incandescent Bulbs You Can Still Buy
The regulation carves out 26 categories of specialty lamps. The exclusions most likely to matter to a household shopper:5eCFR. 10 CFR 430.2 – Definitions
- Appliance lamps for ovens, refrigerators, and microwaves
- Bug lamps with yellow coatings marketed to reduce insect attraction
- Colored lamps, including red and green party bulbs
- Infrared heat lamps used in bathrooms, food service, and animal husbandry
- Plant grow lights with specialized spectra
- Small decorative S-shape and small G-shape bulbs 1.5625 inches in diameter or less, covering many chandelier and candelabra styles
- Sign service and showcase lamps for commercial display
The rest of the excluded list runs to marine lamps, mine service lamps, traffic signal lamps, and other industrial shapes defined by base type and dimensions. If you’re looking for a specific incandescent replacement, check whether it falls into an excluded category before assuming you’re out of luck.
One point of common confusion: older EPA guidance still lists three-way bulbs and chandelier bulbs as generally exempt.6U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. How the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 Affects Light Bulbs That page reflects the pre-2022 rules. Small candelabra-base decorative bulbs still qualify under the size exclusion, but a standard-base three-way bulb generally does not.
Could the Ban Be Reversed?
This question keeps surfacing, especially after the January 2025 executive order on energy policy. The standard remains in full effect, and it’s difficult to unwind.
Executive orders can direct agencies to review regulations, but they don’t override the statute. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act contains an anti-backsliding provision that bars DOE from weakening an efficiency standard once it’s set. Any revision would have to meet a higher bar, not a lower one. Congress could pass new legislation, but the Congressional Review Act has a time limit, and the general service lamp rule was finalized well before the cutoff that would let the current Congress use that tool.
The supply chain has also moved on. Manufacturers retooled, retailers cleared shelf space, and rebuilding domestic incandescent production would take years. Even a policy reversal wouldn’t put bulbs back on shelves quickly.
A Second, Stricter Standard Hits in 2028
The 45-lumens-per-watt rule was step one. DOE finalized a second standard in April 2024 that raises the floor to roughly 120 lumens per watt by July 25, 2028.7Department of Energy. DOE Finalizes Efficiency Standards for Lightbulbs to Save Americans Billions in Household Energy Costs1eCFR. 10 CFR 430.32 – Energy and Water Conservation Standards The exact figure varies by lamp type, but the practical effect is that compact fluorescent lamps won’t clear the bar either. DOE noted that “the market is already transitioning away from” CFLs. Several states, including Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Illinois, have already restricted mercury-containing fluorescent lamps on their own timelines.
LEDs are the only widely available technology that clears 120 lumens per watt, so the practical replacement question is settled well before the deadline.
Replacing Incandescents with LEDs
LED bulbs use at least 75% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than incandescents.8Department of Energy. LED Lighting Running a 60-watt incandescent five hours a day costs roughly $17 a year in electricity; the equivalent LED runs about $1.70. Prices on the bulbs themselves have dropped: a 60-watt-equivalent LED runs around $2 to $3 at most retailers, and utility rebates sometimes cut that under a dollar. Check your electric provider’s website for current offers.
When you shop, ignore wattage as a brightness measure and look at lumens instead. An 800-lumen LED replaces a 60-watt incandescent. An 1,100-lumen LED replaces a 75-watt. Color temperature, measured in Kelvin, sets the feel of the light. A 2700K bulb produces the warm yellowish glow incandescents were known for. Ratings around 4000K or 5000K produce cooler, whiter light better suited to kitchens and workspaces.