Did you know that lighting accounts for nearly 20% of a typical household’s electricity bill?
This means one of the easiest upgrades we can all do to our homes is to replace our old light bulbs with more energy efficient versions. For an average house with 30 lightbulbs this can save £100 a year on your electricity bill.
I’ve always heard people talk about light bulbs as if their wattage dictated where they were used. A 60 watt bulb goes here, a 40 watt goes there… And when you looked at the box the light bulb came in there was the wattage, proudly grabbing all the attention. So it made sense that when you needed to buy a replacement bulb all you needed to know was the shape and wattage then away you go. Unfortunately low wattage LEDs have stopped this technique from working so how do you know the bulb you're buying will produce enough light?
Back in 2009 the European Commission set an agenda to phase out inefficient light bulbs, encouraging the adoption of more energy efficient alternatives. The idea was that if a suitable, more energy efficient option is readily available then the old predecessor will be removed from the market so its use is phased out.
In this article we discus the latest ban on directional halogen lamps.
When you shop for bulbs online and you’re comparing a product image on the computer screen to the old bulb you have in your hand, it’s hard to tell if the screw or bayonet cap is the right size. This is made even worse with small screw caps where there are only a few millimetres difference between the sizes.
But don’t worry, once you know what the cap types mean, and with the aid of your trusty tape measure or ruler, you can be confident you’ll order the right bulb every time.