The most-commonly used four-foot, eight-foot, and two-foot (U-shaped) T12 fluorescent lamps will begin disappearing from distributors’ and retailers’ shelves in less than one year. The targeted lamps fail to meet efficiency standards that will go into effect July 1, 2012, the National Lighting Bureau (NLB) reports.

According to NLB Chair Howard P. Lewis, the lamp types most affected include:

  • Four-foot, medium bi-pin T12 lamps
  • Eight-foot, single-pin T12 Slimline lamps
  • Eight-foot T12 800mA HO lamps with RDC bases
  • Two-foot, medium bi-pin T12 U-lamps
NLB estimates that as many as 500 million are still installed in commercial, industrial, institutional, and other nonresidential lighting systems nationwide. The specific types of T12 lamps that will begin disappearing in July 2012 include:
  • Most F40 and F34T12 lamps and almost all FB40 and FB34T12 U-lamps
  • All 75W F96T12 lamps
  • All 60W F96T12/ES lamps, with the exception of a few 700/SP and 800/SPX lamps
  • All conventional 110W F96T12 HO lamps that deliver fewer than 10,120 lumens
  • All 95W F96T12/ES/HO, unless they can provide at least 8,740 lumens