Guide to Energy Saving Light Bulbs
Energy saving lightbulbs have always been a great idea as they save you money on your electric bill and help the environment at the same time. Low energy bulbs and lamps use up to 80 per cent less electricity than a standard bulb, but produce the same amount of light.
Colour Temperatures and Light Colour
The colour temperature of a lamp is a measure of the "warmth" or "coldness" of the light that it produces. Lamps which produce a "warm" or "yellowish" light such as standard household filament bulbs have a low colour temperature. Lamps which produce a pure white or bluish tinged light have a higher colour temperature.
1) High pressure sodium lamps: 2000K to 2200K
2) Tungsten filament light bulb (normal bulb colour): 2700K
3) Tungsten halogen lamps: 3000K
4) Fluorescent lamps: 2700K to 6500K
5) Metal halide lamps: 3000K - 5600K
6) Daylight (Same colour as natural light): 5500 - 6500K
Warm White - Warm white (2700K) light colour is the standard yellow colour seen in most homes.
Cool White - Cool White (3500-4000K) light colour is a white light with a hint of yellow.
Daylight - Daylight (6500K) light colour is a pure white light just like natural sunlight.
Electrical Equivalent
Energy saving light bulbs use a fifth to a quarter of the electricity of ordinary bulbs to generate the same amount of light.
Depending on how long your lights are in use every day, just one energy saving lightbulb could save you up to £7 and 26 kilograms of CO2 a year. And because it will last up to 10 times longer than a standard bulb, it could save you around £60 before it needs replacing.
| Ordinary bulbs |
Energy saving CFL equivalent |
| 25W |
5W |
| 35W |
7W |
| 40W |
9W |
| 60W |
11W |
| 75W |
15W |
| 100W |
18-20W |
| 120W+ |
25W |
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL)
CFL bulbs are more commonly known as low energy bulbs or energy saving lamps. Compact fluorescents use the same technology as fluorescent tubes you see in the office but with the tubes folded into a much more compact design.
The main advantages of compact fluorescents are:-
1) Lower power consumption – Typically 80% less than equivalent incandescent lamps.
2) Longer life span - Typically 4 to 12 times longer than conventional incandescent lamps (If running on an electrical system up to modern standards and fitted by a qualified electrician).
3) Lower heat output than standard incandescent lamps. This makes CFL lamps perfect for use in places with air conditioning. Beacuse they produce less heat the air conditioning does not need to run as much.
The main disadvantages of compact fluorescents are:-
1) - They cost more than incandescent light bulb.
2) - They take time to reach full brightness
3) - They can not be used in sealed or enclosed fittings (This is due to CFL lamps having components and circuits in them that will fail if heat builds up).
LED Lamps
LED light bulbs and lamps have come a long way in the past few years. They are far more efficient than CFL lamps and last for upto 30,000 hours on a modern independent RCD electrical system.
The main advantages of LED are:-
1) Far lower power consumption – Typically 80%-90% less than equivalent incandescent lamps.
2) Longer life span - Typically 30 times longer than conventional incandescent lamps (If running on an electrical system up to modern standards and fitted by a qualified electrician).
3) Far lower heat output than standard incandescent lamps and lower heat production than CFL lamps. This makes LED lamps very efficient.
4) They reach full brightness instantly.
The main disadvantages of LED are:-
1) - They cost far more than CFL lamps.
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