Ikea pulls incandescent bulbs from shelves, to sell only LEDs
by Cleantech Canada Staff
Retailer makes good on 2012 commitment, forces customers to go green
BURLINGTON, Ont.—Those seeking incandescent need not apply. Ikea Canada says that as of Sept 1., it has made good on its 2012 promise to sell only LED bulbs and lighting, enabling customers to live a more sustainable life at home.
“LED is a light revolution. With household electricity bills continuing to rise rapidly and global energy consumption increasing, LED lighting will have a big impact. Building on our belief that everyone should be able to afford to live more sustainably at home, we will make sure our LED prices are affordable for the many,” Steve Howard, Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA Group, said.
LEDs use 85 per cent less energy than incandescent bulbs and can last up to 20 years. Each LED bulb also saves approximately $10 of electricity costs per year, compared with incandescent bulbs.
“I’m proud to say that IKEA is the first retailer in Canada to completely phase out the incandescent bulb and convert all light sources to LED,” Stefan Sjöstrand, president of IKEA Canada, said. “We believe that Canadians should be able to afford to live a more sustainable life at home and also save money on their energy bills.”
This year, IKEA says it has already sold 1.5 million LED bulbs to Canadians, which translates to savings of 110 million kilowatt hours and about $12 million in energy costs in 2015 alone.
