With energy prices rocketing over the few years, efficiency is a word in most home owners minds and quite often, one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce energy usage is by optimising your lighting. If this is something you're interested in, then this handy guide may be just the thing you are looking for.
Choosing the right lightbulbs
The type of lightbulb you choose can have a significant impact on energy consumption and, most of the time, people don't actually know what type of lightbulb they're using. To make it easier, we have broken these down:
Incandescent bulbs
These are not the best option if you have energy efficiency in mind, and are the least energy efficient option out there. Converting only about 10% of the energy they use into light, the rest is wasted as heat, which as I am sure you will agree, is not what you want out of a lightbulb. Fortunately, they have largely been phased out in favor of more efficient options.
That being said, you will be surprised how many customers we see that still have this type lying around in their homes, and we recommend that you swap these to LED alternatives sooner rather than later, to save your energy bills in the long run!
Halogen incandescent bulbs
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL)
Light Emitting Diode (LED)
Solar lighting
Solar lighting is an excellent way to reduce energy consumption, particularly for outdoor areas. Solar lights are powered by the sun, storing energy during the day and using it to light up pathways, gardens, and other outdoor spaces at night.
An additional benefit of solar lighting is that they can be fitted anywhere, well, almost. Provided that the solar panel has access to sunlight, there is no need for existing wiring or an electrician in order for the lighting to be fitted. This is a great bonus, especially when it comes to bollard lighting and outdoor table lamps.
Our top tip for solar lighting is to make sure that you give the solar panel a wipe every now and again to ensure that dust and dirt are not blocking the sun!
Most of our solar light fittings include motion sensors and a dusk to dawn feature and 3 intelligent modes to choose from. Whilst we have plenty of other options in our showroom, why not take a look at our solar lighting available online here: Solar Lighting
Motion sensors
Motion sensors are a cost-effective solution for energy conservation, reducing waste by ensuring lights are only on when necessary. This cuts electricity bills and decreases overall energy consumption.
They also provide convenience and efficiency by automatically turning on the lights when entering a room. This is especially useful in areas where manual control is inconvenient so the use of motion sensors will stop the need to use your elbow to turn the lights on, whilst your hands are full.
Not only this, motion sensors add an additional element of security as the sudden illumination of a space can deter intruders.
Overall, motion sensors are not practical in every room of the house, but as an initial suggestion, we recommend that they are used in areas such as:
bathrooms
cloakrooms
utility rooms
garages
loft and storage areas
front porches
A few other tips
When you can, maximise the use of natural lighting by ensuring that curtains and blinds are kept open. This obvously reduces the need to use artificial lighting.
Utilise further task lighting in spaces, such as a desk lamp, as this will mean that you are only lighting the areas of your home that require it.
One final point: Changes to energy ratings
As most of you will be familiar with, in the UK, we have an energy rating system that grades electrical items from A++ to E, with A++ being the most energy efficient. As you may be aware, most LED lightbulbs would automatically fall into the A+/A++ categories due to their excellent energy efficiencies.
The UK Government has since changed these ratings as of April 2023 to allow for further expansion of energy efficient gradings and as such, the once A+ lightbulb now equates to a G rating (as shown below) to allow for more energy efficient lamps to come into play.
It is however worth stressing that the energy efficiencies of the LED light bulbs have not changed, despite the change in grading.
To conclude
Making your home’s lighting more energy-efficient is a practical and impactful way to reduce your energy consumption and environmental footprint. By choosing the right lightbulbs, incorporating solar lighting, and utilizing motion and photocell sensors, you can significantly cut down on energy waste. Additionally, smart lighting systems offer advanced control and convenience, further enhancing energy efficiency. Implement these strategies to enjoy a brighter, more eco-friendly home.