Low Energy Saving Light Bulbs to Save Electricity

One of the items everyone knows about to save electricity is installing low-energy light bulbs, but are they any good? Here’s our review and how to get them for nearly free.

The energy-efficient light bulb has been around for many years, and they used to be very expensive and ugly. The bulb would take forever to warm up and provide sufficient light to your rooms. However, the new types are better and cheaper.

The Philips energy-saving light bulbs are the most well-known and sold in many retailers, including high-street supermarkets. Like most of these, they should last for about 10 years and warm up very quickly. There are also great offers: Sainsbury’s is currently selling these at 50p each or 5 for 50p (so obviously buy five at a time).

Because of this very low price, there is no excuse, from a cost point of view, not to switch from the older types.

They now warm up a lot faster. Research shows that for every 60W light bulb you replace, you should save around £6 per year on electricity. Additionally, you’ll produce a lot less carbon to put into the atmosphere.

The newer models are also much smaller, so now are gone the times when you change the bulb and it pokes out the top of your table lamp or other lamp shade.

Lower wattage = lower carbon

Each package will tell you what the equivalent of your old light bulbs is. The energy-efficient light bulbs are Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) because they are fluorescent, like the tube lighting you find in offices and warehouses, but in a smaller construction. They do not produce any heat (like standard tungsten filament lamps) and so last a lot longer. A standard bulb lasts around 1,000 hours, with 90% of the energy produced being lost to heat, whereas a CFL bulb lasts around 10,000 hours and does not produce heat.

You don’t replace the same wattage like-for-like on the new bulbs. The packaging shows you exactly what new bulb replaces the old, and here are the guidelines:

• Old 40w  – new 10w
• Old 60w – new 15w
• Old 100w – new 20w
• Old 150w – new 30w

You can, of course, change the new wattage numbers and produce a much brighter light if required. The government has now outlawed the sale of 100W bulbs via retail outlets, although you can still purchase them wholesale.

Other thoughts on energy-efficient lighting

There is no reason not to change, given the savings in hard cash and for the environment. There are potential issues with migraine sufferers with the way the bulbs produce the light. If you are prone to headaches, you may want to try an alternative or not put them in all rooms in your house.

But try them out. Because of supermarket promotions (e.g., Sainsbury’s 5 for 50 and Lidl 30p each), there is no cost issue any longer. There are all kinds of shapes and sizes to choose from to suit your needs in your house. Low-energy-saving light bulbs are here to stay and are better for the environment.