How much money can you save by changing to low energy bulbs?

Jet

Can someone give me an idea roughly of how much it will save me to replace my normal bulbs with low energy ones? I've got 2 bulbs already, but really don't like them much.

My electricity supplier is charging me per unit, so how do I work out how much a 40w light bulb is using compared to a 9w for example?

I'd really like to cut my electricity bills but wonder if it's really worth doing taking into account, the initial cost, and the poor quality light as well as the fact that I have a dimmer in my main room which I would have to forego.

I think if I could actually work it out for myself how much I would be saving, it might spur me into installing a few more bulbs. :j

shammyjack

1 unit = 1 kilowatt = 1000 watts .

Easy to compute !


shammy

Jet

Thanks, didn't realise it was that easy!

masonic

1 unit = 1 kWh = 1000 W of power being consumed over 1 hour.

40 W - 9 W = 31 W. This is the saving in terms of power per lightbulb.
Multiply this by the average number of bulbs you have turned on at once, and the average number of hours you have your lighting on per day, then divide by 1000 (1 unit = 1000 Wh). This will give you your daily saving. Multiply by 365 to get an annual saving.

For example, 3 lights on for an average of 5 hours per day => 31 x 3 x 5 / 1000 x 365 = 170 units ~ £15 per year.

bobi22

Just to add my twopennyworth - i changed all our lightbulbs over a year ago to "low calorie ones" (my term) and hated them for a while, but honestly, you just get used to them. I dont even notice them now.


If you dont still have your old switches (instead of dimmers)- new ones only cost about 99p each in the big DIY stores (as long as you know how to fit them safely!)

hope that helps.;)