IKEA has announced it will be the first major U.S. retailer to carry only LED lightbulbs when it makes the switch next month.
Steve Howard, IKEA’s Chief Sustainability Officer, explained the company’s motivation behind the LED shift:
LED is a light revolution. With household electricity bills continuing to rise rapidly and global energy consumption increasing, the 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.
IKEA U.S. says its customers have bought 7.6 million LED bulbs since 2013, allowing them to collectively save billions of dollars in energy costs.
The company conducted two studies, one in 2012 and one in 2015, that showed Americans have become more open-minded when it comes to purchasing LED lighting. The studies found that 49% of Americans bought at least one LED bulb in 2012, while 64% bought at least one three years later.
