Light Bulbs, Low-energy

Save up to 30% on your energy bills - click here to find out more

Just by replacing one traditional 100W light bulb in your home with a low-energy 100W equivalent bulb will save you the amount of electricity required to boil 210 litres of water in the kettle to make 1,200 cups of tea. It will also save you £6 of your annual electricity bill. By switching all your traditional bulbs to low-energy ones will therefore result in considerable environmental benefits and financial savings.

How low-energy bulbs work
Some of us are still using the traditional (incandescent) bulbs in the house. They make light by passing an electric current through a thin metal wire, this then becomes hot and emits light. Of which only 10 per cent of the electrical energy is converted to light, this means that 90 per cent is wasted as heat. The low-energy bulbs, also called compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), are more efficient than incandescent bulbs due to much of the electrical energy being used to generate light, instead of heat. Also the CFLs also last longer. Typical incandescent bulbs, last around 1,000 hours, while CFLs can last anywhere between 6,000 and 15,000 hours.

Wasting Money
The incandescent bulbs are cheaper to buy, and they start from 40p, while the average price for a low-energy bulb is around £6. But with the incandescent bulbs they work out to be more expensive in the long run due to them using more electricity and you also have to replace them more often.

If you can’t afford to buy lots of new CFLs, at once, you may be able to get a grant. The Energy Saving Trust say that people over 50 years of age, or those on benefits, are most likely to qualify for a grant. Contact your local Energy Efficiency Advice Centre to find out about grants available in your area.

A Full Life

If you want to spend the extra money on the low-energy bulbs, then you will need to be sure that they will last as long as their packaging claims they will.

Where to Use Low-energy Bulbs
These CFLs are not ideal for use everywhere but most manufacturers don’t give any advice on their packaging or in their instructions about where to use them.

Where to use CFLs
• In places where they'll be left on for a few hours at a time, for example, in your living room or hallway.

• In places where changing the bulb is harder because you won't have to change them as often as incandescent bulbs. Where to avoid using CFLs

• Where they'll be switched on and off frequently as this shortens the lifetime of some bulbs.

• Where they will be exposed to low temperatures, such as in a garage, cellar or outside. Cold temperatures reduce the bulbs' efficiency and make them dim excessively.
Most CFLs must not be used with dimmer switches or timer devices. But, some manufacturers are developing CFLs that will work with a dimmer.

Bulb Types
The low-energy light bulbs come in many different shapes. You can get traditional shape bulbs and stick shape bulbs. The stick shape bulbs have two or three tubes, the ones with three have more power but they tend to be heavier.

Colour of Light
Despite the fact that some bulbs are white, many give off a slightly different hue. Normally though the effects are subtle and you many not even notice them. Some of the incandescent bulbs have a slightly yellow hue compared to the natural daylight, for example.

Disadvantages
Even though the CFLs save energy and money, they are not perfect.

Slow start-up
CFLs will take a while to get to their full brightness.
Affected by cold CFLs are noticeably dimmer when used in cold conditions. We checked the light intensity of the bulbs at -10°C and found that most were dimmer than when they were used at 25°C. It's best not to use them in cold areas of your home.

Dims over time
After several years or even months of use many bulbs are prone to dimming, which makes them not goof for use with some light fittings.
Heavy

Many of the CFLS are heavy in comparison with the conventional bulbs, this will make them unsuitable to use with some light fittings.

Disposal and Recycling
At the end of the CFLs life they potentially can be recycled, and both the mercury and phosphorus inside them can be recovered. At present there is not much in the way of recycling facilities. Contact your local authority or Wastewatch to find out if you can recycle bulbs locally. If you can’t, then you will have to put them in the bin. The draft Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, approved last year, proposed recycling targets for small household appliances, including light bulbs. However, it will be a while before they're met.

Natural Light
Wherever it is possible to do so, make the use out of much out of the natural light. The daylight can improve mood, especially during the dark winter days.

• Light coloured walls and ceilings, and stone or wooden floors will reflect the natural light back into a room and make it brighter. Also having mirrors will help.

• More light will be reflected into your rooms if external walls are painted white, or a light colour.

Also it helps to keep your windows clean, ledges uncluttered and curtains tied back to make the most of daylight when it is available.