Your guide to energy saving bulbs
Energy saving lightbulbs are a good way to save energy and money by using use up to 80% less electricity than a standard bulb, while producing the same amount of light.
Technology has advanced since energy saving lightbulbs were first invented, and so have the designs with many stylish energy saving bulbs available – you don’t need to buy just oddly shaped bulky bulbs.
You can now get ‘soft tone’ bulbs for a warm glow rather than a cold light.
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
Shapes and Fittings
- Stick shaped
- Candle shape
- Small or Medium screw fitting
- Bayonet fitting
Low Energy Lamps
- Reflector R80, R63 and R50
- Spiral syles – small and compact
- Candle Style – for visible lighting
- GU10 Energy Saving – for replacing Halogen lamps
- Standard Style – normal looking energy efficient bulbs
- 2D and PL lamps – commercial bulbs for industry and the office
LED bulbs
LED bulbs offer durability, low running costs and are great for continuous use, mood lighting and feature lighting.
Brands
Leading brands include GE, Osram, Philips, Pro Lite, Impact, Sylvania, Omicron and Megaman.
Main Benefits
Depending on how long your lights are in use every day, just one energy saving lightbulb could save you up to £7 and 25 kilos of CO2 a year. It will also last up to 10 times longer than a standard lightbulb, so could save you around £60 before it needs replacing.
Energy saving light bulbs are more expensive than traditional filament bulbs, they reduce your overall electricity costs and consumption over time.
Energy saving light bulbs use 20-25% of the electricity of ordinary lightbulbs to generate the same amount of light. So where you’d normally use a 100W bulb, you’ll only need a 20-25w energy saving lightbulb equivalent.
| Ordinary bulbs | Energy saving equivalent |
| 25W | 6W |
| 40W | 8-11W |
| 60W | 13-18W |
| 100W | 20-25W |