Saving Energy in Your Home With Lighting - Energy

Choosing the right lighting for you home

Choosing the right lighting in your home, with higher energy prices constantly rising, we are all becoming more educated in the ways we can save energy in our homes. One of the most cost-effective ways to save energy and money is on your lighting, it can have an enormous effect on our mood and the way we relax. Sore eyes and headaches are a known cause of bad lighting, so choosing the right lighting for your home is very important. Proper lighting can make all the difference in how your home will look and feel, it can dramatically alter the appearance of your home and can transform a boring living space into a soothing and stunning showpiece.

Incandescent light bulbs

Incandescent bulbs are now becoming a thing of the past this is particularly the case in the UK where these types of bulbs are being completely phased out. Incandescent bulbs are not very efficient with approximately 95 percent of the energy consumed wasted as heat and have an average life span of 750-2500 hours.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL)

Although there are some negative comments made about compact fluorescent light bulbs they are an improvement on the outdated incandescent bulbs and emit the same light quality. Compact fluorescent light bulbs have a K number listed on the packaging the higher the K or (Kelvin) number the brighter the light. These types of bulbs are four times more efficient than incandescent, last 10 times longer approximately (10,000 hours) and use up to 80% less energy.

What to look for when you shop for light bulbs.

Degrees Kelvin (K) Scale

Number of lumens (lm) produced by common incandescent bulbs

150 watts = 2600 lumens

100 watts = 1600 lumens

74 watts = 1100 lumens

60 watts = 800 lumens

40 watts = 450 lumens

Warm White, Soft White

The standard colour of incandescent bulbs

2700 k - 3000 k

Cool, Bright White, Neutral

Good for kitchens and workspaces

3500 k - 4100 k

Natural or Daylight

Good for living rooms and lamps

5000k - 6500k

Light emitting diode bulbs (LED)

Light emitting diodes consist of a number of (LEDs) to emit light, although they can cost a little extra than the cost is balanced with the increased life span and the higher energy efficiency. light emitting diodes can last up to 10 times longer than compact fluorescent on average 25,000 to 60,000 hours plus.

Halogen light bulbs

When compared to compact fluorescent or light emitting diodes, halogen light bulbs are not as efficient although there is an improvement to the standard incandescent light bulb. Halogen light bulbs have a life span of approximately 2,000 hours and are around 50% more efficient than incandescent bulbs.

Most energy efficiency light bulbs available cannot be dimmed using a standard domestic dimmer. However, since 2007, new dimmer enabled energy bulbs became available and can be dimmed with a standard dimmer switch. Please check to ensure that you are purchasing the correct item before using an energy efficiency bulb with a dimmer switch.