How to use less electricity Low-energy light bulbs
Lighting a typical home accounts for around 20% of its electricity bill. The good news is that fitting energy-saving light bulbs is one of the simplest ways to reduce energy use and bills.
Traditional light bulbs come in 40W, 60W and 100W varieties. The equivalent low-energy versions give out similar light outputs, but are rated approximately 8W, 11W and 15W respectively. They also last much longer. It's easy to see how savings can be made - replace a 40W traditional bulb with an 8W low-energy equivalent, and you're immediately using just 20% of the energy you used before.
Low-energy vs traditional light bulbs
The table shows the typical cost of running one traditional light bulb over five years versus the cost of running a low-energy bulb. This is for just one light fitting, so imagine the savings if you replaced all of your bulbs.
| Typical energy use over five years | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Wattage of light bulb (W) |  Low-energy light bulb |  Traditional light bulb |  Savings over five years |
| 40W (traditional) or 8W (low-energy) | £5.40 | £27.00 | £21.60 |
| 60W (traditional) or 11W (low-energy) | £7.43 | £40.50 | £32.40 |
| 100W (traditional) or 15W (low-energy) | £10.13 | £67.50 | £54.00 |
Table notes
Cost of electricity 13.5p/kWh Hours on per year 1,000 Years on 5
Low-energy light bulbs last longer
Remember, too, that low-energy light bulbs can last ten years or more. The average for a traditional bulb is one year.
Low-energy light bulbs used to be quite expensive to buy, but now they can cost well under a pound.
More on energy-saving light bulbs...
- Get expert light bulb advice with our light bulb Q&A
- Find out how we test energy-saving lightbulbs
