Federal Agency to Ban Your Old, Traditional Light Bulb Starting Next Week

Starting next week, Americans won’t be able to buy incandescent light bulbs after more than 100 years of use.

Incandescent light bulbs are displayed at City Lights lighting store in San Francisco, Calif., on April 11, 2008. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Starting next week, Americans won’t be able to buy incandescent light bulbs anymore because a federal ban on the 140-year-old technology will go into effect starting Aug. 1.

It won’t be illegal to own  incandescent light bulbs, it just will be illegal for stores to sell those products and for companies to manufacture them in the United States.