One of IKEA's LED table lamps currently on their website. What do you think about this style, compared to a traditional table lamp with an incandescent bulb?

In our Roundup for June 14 to July 2, we noted IKEA’s impending phaseout on the sale of incandescent light bulbs.  We didn’t go into detail about what this means for the lighting industry, and it’s a pretty significant milestone.

With such a prominent retailer officially disassociating themselves from incandescent bulbs (IKEA’s phaseout is expected to begin in August and be complete by the end of the year), the shift across the industry from traditional bulbs to more energy efficient lighting accelerates.

Of course, these changes will take place across the entire lighting industry in the next few years anyway – IKEA is simply beginning the incandescent phaseout early.  In 2012, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will take effect.  There are various components of the law (see the link for more details).  Basically, by 2014, the sale of all traditional incandescent bulbs will be banned.

The phaseout also signifies changes ahead in lighting design.  CFLs, Halogens, and LEDs will take the place of incandescent bulbs, and that means new lighting designs corresponding with the more energy efficient light sources are to be expected.  The picture of the table lamp above illustrates this point: without incandescents, it will no longer be necessary to accommodate for a large incandescent bulb in the design of a lighting fixture.

The entire foundation of lighting design is going to change; and for lighting designers, the possibilities are endless.