What’s changing?

From 24 February 2027, changes to EU RoHS exemptions will affect the future supply of mercury-containing lamps. It doesn’t mean every existing lamp suddenly becomes unusable, but sourcing replacements is likely to become increasingly difficult as manufacturers and suppliers move away from mercury-based illumination.

For microscopy facilities, replacing illumination across an existing microscope estate can sound like a huge upheaval, especially when the systems you already have still work. But the case for moving to LED goes far beyond the mercury phase-out. Independent testing by Green Light Laboratories found energy use could be reduced by up to 93%, with savings of more than £6,000 / €7,000 in projected running-costs over 25,000 hours.

The University of Aberdeen has already gone further, replacing all of its existing mercury and metal halide illumination systems with CoolLED LED illumination across its facility.

And Aberdeen is not alone.

A growing number of facilities across Europe have already started making the transition, showing that this isn’t some distant future problem. The move is already happening, and planning now means you can make it on your own terms rather than waiting until bulb supply becomes the thing forcing your hand.