Oregon Becomes the Seventh State to Ban Fluorescent Lamps

On July 27, 2023, Governor Tina Kotek signed House Bill 2531 into law in Oregon. This new statute effectively eliminated the sale or distribution of new screw- or bayonet-base type compact fluorescent lamps (CLFs) on or after January 1, 2024. Additionally, the statute expands to prohibit the sale or distribution of new pin-base type compact fluorescent lamps and linear fluorescent lamps on or after January 1, 2025. 

According to Inside Lighting, Oregon joins six other states in banning the majority of fluorescent lamps: Vermont, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Maine.  

The good news is that Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) continues to provide incentives to replace these banned fluorescent lamps with more energy-efficient LED options. These incentives support utilities throughout the Pacific Northwest, including participating Oregon utilities. BPA also recently increased the incentive to replace linear fluorescent lamps with Type B/C TLED lamps to $8 per TLED! 

This change in Oregon legislation can become an opportunity to discuss LED lighting upgrades with your commercial building customers. With seven U.S. states now preventing the sale of fluorescent lamps, we foresee a time when CFLs and fluorescent tubes (and the incentives to replace them) will only be found in history books next to the horse and buggy – replaced by better technologies. Contact your local utility or Trade Ally Network NW field specialist today to download the most recent lighting calculator for your customers still clinging to their obsolete fluorescent lighting systems.