Light bulb moment can save £100 a year
THE clocks go back next Sunday and, as the nights draw in fast, you can save money on your energy bills by switching light bulbs. Homeowners can knock £100 a year off their electricity bill by removing old light bulbs and replacing them with modern energy saving alternatives.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs make ideal replacements for ceiling and wall-fitted spotlight halogen lights while traditional bulbs can be changed for Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL).
Although there is a cost for installing the new lights, they will pay for themselves within a couple of years.
Most homes are already fitted with energy efficient CFLs following a European Union ban on traditional incandescent bulbs that began in 2009. Homeowners are now also being encouraged to swap their old halogen bulbs for more efficient LEDs in preparation for an expected ban on halogen lighting by the EU in 2018.
Retired RAF Vulcan bomber navigator Don Siviter, 84, from Clattercote in Oxfordshire, recently used the tradesman co-operative The 50plus Organisation to replace a dozen old lights and fittings in his home with LED replacements – for a cost of £95.
The widower says: ‘There is a bewildering array of lighting choice and with changing regulations I was left confused so I decided to employ professional help.
‘I am pleasantly surprised with the results as my new bulbs not only save me money but are far brighter.’
The Energy Saving Trust believes that due to advances in modern technology there has never been a better time to buy energy efficiency bulbs – with prices plummeting and their quality improving.
Brian Horne, energy expert at the trust, says: ‘The price of LED lights has dropped dramatically in the past couple of years. Bulbs that once cost £20 can now be purchased for £5. The LEDs are still relatively expensive but they soon pay for themselves as they dramatically lower energy bills.’
The cost of CFL bulbs has also fallen with many manufacturers selling them for less than £5 each. Meanwhile, the traditional incandescent bulb is now hard to find on the high street and is only available from specialists who often charge £3 each for bulbs that previously cost less than £1.
Since an EU ban on the sale of 40watt bulbs in September 2012 – following earlier bans on 60 and 100-watt bulbs – the only way to buy an oldfashioned incandescent bulb is through a loophole where they are sold for ‘industrial use’.
Horne adds: ‘Many still think energyefficient light bulbs take a long time to start up and give off a cold and clinical glow, but technological advances mean they now light up immediately and offer a much friendlier, warm white glow to brighten a home.’
A modern energy-efficient bulb can use 90 per cent less electricity than a traditional bulb. According to the Energy Saving Trust you can get the same brightness but pay £3 less a year for each old light bulb replaced with an energy-efficient light.
Homes that use lots of ceilingmounted halogen lights can feel the saving effect more than most – and if you can count more than 30 bulbs around the house you will find you can save at least £100 a year from making the switch. Lighting accounts for 18 per cent of an average household electricity bill.
The Energy Saving Trust also points out that modern bulbs not only use less energy – but should also last longer.
For example, an old-fashioned incandescent bulb used two hours a day might light up your life for a total of just 1,000 hours while CFL bulbs survive ten times longer – for 10,000 hours – while LEDs last 25,000 hours.
Horne says: ‘When looking at swapping to energy-efficient lights you do not have to wait for the old ones to blow but can work on individual rooms. You no longer need to look at the wattage – which is energy used – but at the brightness in lumens.’
A 400 lumens bulb is equivalent to the brightness of a 40-watt bulb while a 1,300 lumens light may be as illuminating as a 100-watt bulb.