Although electricity costs have yet to reach the dizzy heights of natural gas, energy prices continue to rise year on year, and running even essential household appliances is putting an increasing strain on the average home. The challenge is on for people to find ever more innovative and practical ways to cut their electricity bills along with their heating costs, although many people miss out on the biggest saving they can possibly make – changing the type of light they use.
LED lights may conjure up images of old 1980s computer games and indicator boards, and few people are a fan of the bluish, cold light that was once upon a time the trademark quality and temperature of LED lighting. However, LED lights have moved on, and warm tones that shed a more natural, soft white light (think traditional incandescent bulbs) are now commonplace.
LED lights are more expensive than normal energy-saving bulbs, and for fans of dimmer switches, special bulbs may be even dearer. In addition, light fittings are likely to need adapting to cope with the reduced demand on the current. With bulbs costing between £8 and £10, replacing every bulb in the home, including lamps, can cost around £200. Add in the costs of adapting certain light fittings such as dimmer switches, and there is unlikely to be much change from £1,000.
Having said that, those costs are simply a case of spending money to save money. LED bulbs might be several times more expensive than ordinary bulbs, but they last considerably longer. With bulbs lasting an average of 18 months based on around 10 hours of use a day, the costs suddenly look much more reasonable. As LED bulbs use a fraction of the wattage of conventional bulbs to produce the same quantity of light, a fraction of the energy is required. Since electricity is sold by the kilowatt, it doesn’t take a mathematical genius to work out that household consumption is going to fall dramatically.
Since LED bulbs use approximately one tenth of the energy of conventional bulbs – for example, the equivalent to an old 100 watt incandescent bulb uses only 10 watts – it’s easy to see how a household’s energy costs can fall so drastically. It’s not impossible for an annual electricity bill to have hundreds of pounds shaved off it simply because something as simple as replacing the light bulbs means that just lighting the home is costing a tenth of what it did previously.
If you’re still unconvinced, just ponder for a moment where else you might be tightening your belt, and what you’ve had to do without in the past year due to rising energy costs. The savings just from adjusting your household lighting and investing in GU10 LED bulbs can mean that your television licence or even household insurance is covered by the savings. Changing to these energy-efficient bulbs really is a no brainer for household energy money saving.