Energy Saving Light Bulbs - A Bright Idea?

A lot has been written about Energy Saving Light bulbs recently.

In the UK, the government made the conscious decision to phase out the production of inefficient filament type bulbs by 2011, starting originally with bulbs over 100 Watts, then moving towards 60 Watts and below. Europe is following the same process, albeit at a slower speed. In the USA, the Obama Administration championed a number of Environmental Protection moves, although they have been widely attacked by Republicans.

The truth is that world-wide, the planet is in danger of being strangled by our own need for energy, its production methods, and the wide overuse and indeed misuse of electricity

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It has been claimed in the UK, that fitting a single energy saving bulb can save a household up to £3.00 per year. Multiply that out over all the light bulbs in your house and you could be saving at least £50.00 per year. This is possible because filament bulbs use only approximately 10% of their energy to produce light, which means that 100 Watts traditional can be replaced with 20 Watts Energy Efficient. Less electricity has to be produced, just to be wasted, so Green House Gas emissions and its associated problems such as Global Warming can be brought further under control.

Added to that, energy efficient bulbs, due to the way they work will last at least ten times longer than the standard filament type so replacement costs are far less.

If your company has a large office, it will have fluorescent strip lighting, down lighters, spot lighting and the usual modern luminaire associated with professional environments. There are many different types of Energy Efficient light bulbs on the market nowadays so these can all be changed to Energy Efficient devices. LED spotlights will last up to 5 years longer than traditional bulbs; will consume only 10% of the energy, and over a year pay for the replacement programme. Fluorescent Strip Lighting, rated for example at 85 Watts, can be replaced with an EE strip consuming 15 Watts.

This can be easily justified, on a corporate basis by the fact that by undertaking to phase out all old technology lighting, and replace with new Energy Efficient light bulbs, the project will recover its own cost in the first year, and become bottom line profit year on year after that. Add to this the increased longevity of these Energy Efficient Light bulbs, and a company will save money year on year. It is worth noting that various countries have introduced a Carbon Tax or Environmental Charge in some form or another over the last eighteen months. This ‘stealth tax’ penalises high users of electricity, irrespective of their reason for using it. This includes manufacturing plants, hospitals; large offices etc. so any money, and indeed energy that can be saved without a reduction in work force, a dropping in standard of service or a compromise on production quality is good news all round for shareholders and customers alike, especially during the current recession.

In this modern age, there are a lot of consumers, and business who champion environmental issues and prefer to do business with companies who can exhibit, sustainability and environmental awareness. By moving towards Energy Efficient Lighting you will not only increase the customer base and profitability of your organisation, or reduce household bills; you will also make a lasting contribution to the future of our energy supplies and the life of our planet.