NW_LIGHTING

Ever wondered why the DIY outlets and supermarkets seem to have rows full of conventional incandescent light bulbs but only a short piece of shelving with low energy bulbs. Part of the reason is because not everyone has yet come to appreciate the benefits of using energy efficient lighting but also it is because once you have installed low energy bulbs they last so long that it will be years before replacements are needed.

When I first used cfl?s (compact fluorescent light bulbs) I was not thinking about the energy saving, I was getting fed up with low wattage conventional bulbs failing all the time. (The lower the power of a conventional bulb, the shorter its life.) I soon found other benefits, especially the way the don?t contribute to overheating on summer evenings because they run much cooler.

The next bulbs to be replaced were glass ceiling lights in the hall and landings. These have three screws that need to be released to change the bulb, so the long life of the cfl was particularly attractive. As the bulbs were longer than the usual it was necessary to alter the position of the electrical fitting. (Today more compact spiral types are available making this unnecessary.) Because the cfl?s run nearly cold it was possible to use brighter bulbs. The fiddling was worth it.

In uplighters globe type bulbs look good. They are larger than the conventional equivalent and stick up slightly above the shade showing just a little of the top of the bulb. Try it for yourself.

Now there are a whole load of different types. Ordinary candles have a very short life but the low energy types should last several years. (Always buy branded types to be sure or a long life.) Low energy spotlight reflectors not only last well and can be used in insulated ceilings but when used in a desk light don?t result in the burning neck feeling. Spirals are compact, a little more attractive and can usually take the type of lamp shades that clip onto bulbs. Brighter bulbs than usual can be used without damaging the shade or fittings.

Working out the savings that low energy bulbs make is hard to do because it depends how much they are used. Some figures show how much is saved over the life time of the bulb (3 to 5 years.) Others work out how many months it takes to pay for the extra cost of the bulb. None of these help much.

In a main light the cfl will save between £6 and £10, depending on the wattage. For a very careful couple this will result in savings of £20 to £30 a year. For a family (where the children have been trained not to leave lights on) the saving is at least £70 a year.

To work out the power of a cfl required to give equivalent brightness to a conventional bulb simply divide the power of the conventional bulb by five. So a 20W cfl provides the same amount of light as an ordinary 100W bulb. An incandescent bulb converts only 5% of the energy into light. (It?s the principal that they work on.) A cfl convert around 25% of the energy into light. Do the sums and you will find that the cfl wastes just one sixth the energy of an ordinary bulb. The next generation of lighting is based on LEDs, brighter, white versions of those red and green indicator lamps on most pieces of electronics. These are around 70% efficient, nearly 70 times better than the bulbs w use at the moment. And they will probably get better.

The cost of bulbs has fallen greatly. Now the basic types could cost little more than £1, with more special ones costing around £3.50. Longer life types, which last up to 15 years, are priced at about £5. Supermarkets  and DIY outlets are stocking an increasing range. Most common types can be found in all fitting types by checking around but for more unusual designs or larger numbers there are a number of suppliers on the internet.

Really exciting are the latest replacements for those miniature halogen spot lights. Over the last few years people have been removing efficient fluorescent tubes from kitchens and replacing them with inefficient halogen lights. Hope is at hand. The first bright LED spotlights are becoming available. Lowish brightness forms have been around for a while but the newest, rated at 3.6W are just being imported. Within a few months these should cost around £3, making them a good deal, but avoid lower power types if you need a working brightness.

If you haven?t already, give them a go. They really do have all kinds of benefits and practically no disadvantages. It is hard to see why anyone should still be paying extra to use old fashioned bulbs. The latest even come to full brightness too quickly to prove a nuisance.

For mor eabout electrical appliances see electrical appliances.