Cut your demand for electricity — and cut your lighting bills by up to 80%.

Inefficient lighting wastes electricity — low energy lamps make a big difference because they use much less electricity and last up to 12 times longer than traditional light bulbs. They cost more to buy but cost much less to run. You can now buy lamps with LEDs (light emitting diodes) as well as CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps). The savings on energy and CO2 emissions are so great that it’s worth binning your other bulbs now!

Replace now with low-energy lamps of much lower wattage

External lights

• Lights with movement sensors switch off lamps when they’re not needed, but these PIR (passive infra-red) controlled floodlights may not be the best way to deter criminals — they can also cause nuisance to neighbours and waste energy.
   

• It’s often better to use low energy lighting controlled by a dusk to dawn switch with a photo-electric cell.
   

• If you want to use PIR-controlled lights, select a lower wattage lamp — no more than 150W.

Early low energy bulbs were gloomy, slow to start up and tended to flicker — but modern bulbs give good quality lighting effects, including ‘softone’, and some come in dimmable versions.

Replace ordinary light bulbs with low-energy lamps

• Packs of lamps now have EU energy ratings: choose A and B rated lamps.
   

• Make sure you buy low energy lamps (not ‘long life’ bulbs or ‘low voltage’ light fittings — they won’t save energy)!
   

• You don’t need to replace fluorescent tubes — they’re already pretty efficient.
   

• Don’t install light fittings with several small halogen lamps — they use far more electricity than a traditional bulb!
   

• If you can’t find the low energy lamps you need in the shops, look on the internet!