Energy-saving bulbs have a bright future

25 October 2007

Low-energy light bulbs are not only better for the environment, they’re also better for your wallet, says Which?

Traditional bulbs are usually cheaper to buy (they start at around 40p, while the price of the low-energy bulbs on test begin at around £2), but they work out more expensive in the long run because they use more electricity and have to be replaced more often.

Which? found that switching one 100-watt incandescent bulb for a Best Buy low-energy equivalent could save up to £30 over five years.

And according to the consumer organisation’s calculations, if each UK household used just one energy-efficient light bulb, it could close down a power station.*

When the newer-style energy-saving light bulbs became available in July 2006, Which? immediately started testing them. It has taken this long to publish the results as the trials included a rigorous lifetime test, where bulbs were turned on for 8,000 hours, the equivalent of at least eight years of use.**

Which? can now reveal Best Buy bulbs from General Electric, Ikea and Osram.***

Malcolm Coles, Editor, which.co.uk, says:

“We want to turn people on to energy-saving light bulbs which give the double whammy of being good for the planet and good for the pocket. Traditional light bulbs’ days are numbered – they may be dirt cheap, but they’re a false economy.”

Research notes

* Assuming 24.7M households in the UK (www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=1162) and knowing that Didcot power station has a 2000MW output per hour (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didcot_Power_Station). Each UK household using one 100W incandesant light bulb = 2470MW. Each UK household using one 6W ESL light bulb = 146MW. A saving of over 2000MW.

** Which? mounted all the bulbs on a frame and switched the lamps on and off in cycles of two hours, 45 minutes on and 15 minutes off, taking note of any lamps that burnt out or faded along the way. Which? measured light output after 750 hours and 1,500 hours, and checked whether any of the bulbs were prone to dimming as they got older. Which? offset the emissions it used during its tests through a carbon neutral scheme.

*** The top three Best Buys were General Electric Elegance T3 (£3); Ikea Sparsam (Bulb) (£2); and Osram Duluxstar (£3).

Those looking to save money on utility bills this winter should visit Switch with Which? (www.switchwithwhich.co.uk). The free service allows people to search for green tariffs and switch energy suppliers online in just a few minutes.

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