Various governments have handed legislation to phase out manufacturing or importation of incandescent gentle bulbs for general lighting in favor of extra vitality-environment friendly alternate options. The rules are typically based on efficiency, rather than use of incandescent technology. Objections to substitute of incandescent lamps for general lighting embody the upper buying expense of other lamps and their hazardous materials content. To mitigate the cost results of these concerns the fee of different lamps could also be reduced by subsidies. Manufacturers developed fluorescent lamps with reduced mercury content compared to authentic designs, and recycling packages are supposed to stop mercury launch. New lamp varieties provide improved beginning characteristics, EcoLight LED and dimmable sorts can be found. The sunshine from an incandescent source is analogous in character to that from a Planckian "black body" in spectral distribution, that is, the bulb, as the filament heats up, produces gentle at wavelengths throughout the visible spectrum. Alternative gentle sources use phosphors or combos of mono-chromatic LEDs (red, blue, and green) to supply "white" mild, giving considerably irregular spectral distributions that can create colour casts in photography and differences of shade matching when in comparison with incandescent gentle or daylight.

Halogen lamps are a sort of incandescent lamp with improved efficiency over common incandescent lamps. Though not as power environment friendly as different alternate options, they're as much as 40 % extra environment friendly than customary incandescent lamps designed for a 2000-hour life. Relying on dimension, voltage, and designed life, small, low-voltage halogen lamps can have 70% higher efficacy than giant, line-voltage lamps. They function at a excessive temperature, which could also be a safety hazard in some applications. A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) uses a fluorescent lamp tube which is curved or folded to suit into the area of an incandescent bulb and contains a compact digital ballast in the bottom of the lamp. In comparison with general-service incandescent lamps giving the identical quantity of seen gentle, CFLs use one-fifth to 1-third the electric energy and will final eight to fifteen occasions longer. Newer phosphor formulations have improved the perceived color, with "tender white" CFLs judged subjectively comparable to straightforward incandescent lamps. Compact fluorescent lamps begin poorly when cold, and most types cannot be dimmed.

A couple of specialist purposes are unsuitable for CFLs. Light emitting diode (LED) lamps are used for both normal and special-function lighting. UV rays that fade colored materials. LED lamps radiate a lot less heat than different technologies, and may be either multi-directional or unidirectional, eliminating the need for a mirrored reflector in the bulb or EcoLight solar bulbs fixture. LED lamps can emit saturated colored light. Disadvantages include spectrum limitations on account of discrete emission colors. Their buy value was a lot higher than other bulbs, however has decreased steadily over time. Botswana has an change program distributing CFL bulbs. Of the members of ECOWAS, Cape Verde, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Benin and Togo have had trade packages to exchange incandescent bulbs with reduce energy consumption environment friendly versions. Ghana banned incandescent bulbs in 2008 and Senegal has banned the manufacture and import. Egypt is reported to have a partial ban on incandescent mild bulbs. Kenya has a programme to exchange plenty of mild bulbs with extra efficient sorts.

Morocco has a programme to change plenty of light bulbs with more efficient sorts. Rwanda has an alternate program, distributing CFL bulbs. Tanzania has an exchange program to change incandescent bulbs. Tunisia is reported to have a partial ban on incandescent gentle bulbs. Since January 2016, EcoLight the importation of incandescent light bulbs has been banned in Zambia. Zimbabwe has banned incandescent gentle bulbs. Bahrain has banned incandescent gentle bulbs. Bangladesh has an alternate program. Another supply, however, has indicated that by 1 October 2016, all incandescent light bulbs will likely be banned. In accordance with this supply, 1 November 2011 to 30 September 2012 can be a transitional period and as of 1 October 2012, imports and sales of strange incandescent bulbs of one hundred watts or extra will likely be prohibited. The primary section shall be followed by a ban on 60-watt-and-increased incandescent mild bulbs starting in October 2014. By October 2016, all incandescent mild bulbs will likely be banned in China.

Whereas not a complete ban, reduce energy consumption the UJALA plan in India sought to change 770 million incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs by 2019. This was expected to cut back vitality consumption by over one hundred billion kWh annually and scale back annual electricity bills by ₹400 billion (US$4.7 billion). As of April 2017, 229 million LED bulbs had been distributed throughout the nation. The states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka in India have banned the use of incandescent bulbs in authorities departments, numerous boards, cooperative institutions, local bodies, and institutions operating on authorities aid. As of 1 August 2017, Kuwait has banned the import of incandescent mild bulbs, EcoLight solar bulbs including halogen bulbs. It was reported in 2012 that Malaysia would ban manufacturing, import and sales incandescent bulbs by 2014 as a part of efforts to save power and to help cut greenhouse gasoline emissions. Nepal has banned incandescent light bulbs. North Korea reportedly made LED bulbs mandatory in 2014 to alleviate its power disaster. The Philippines was amongst the first Asian international locations to phase-out incandescent gentle bulbs.