Phasing out incandescent light bulbs
British retailers must phase out traditional incandescent light
bulbs and only sell low-energy fluorescent bulbs by 2012.
The
Eco Design of Energy-using Products Directive was
passed in December 2008 and will restrict the manufacture and
import of frosted incandescent light bulbs over the next three
years before imposing a full ban in 2012. 100W light bulbs were
banned from sale on 1 September 2009 with lower wattages targeted
one by one over the next three years.
Energy saving light bulb facts
Of the 600 million
light bulbs in UK homes, most are inefficient tungsten filament
bulbs. By phasing these out we could make a real difference to our
national energy consumption. Energy saving light bulbs are compact,
bright and available in a wide range of shapes so the only
difference you'll notice is a drop in your electricity bills.
Fitting just one energy saving light bulb can save
you £2.50 a year on average. Replacing all the light
bulbs in your home with energy saving ones could save you about
£37 per year. At £2 each, energy saving bulbs are
a bit more expensive than tungsten filament ones but they will
pay for themselves in the first year by cutting your electricity
bill. As more are produced manufacturers will be able to make them
more efficiently so energy saving light bulbs will become even
cheaper .
The following generic types are available:
- Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) - these are the most common
energy saving light bulbs and come in stick shape, candle shape,
small or medium screw and bayonet fittings.
- Energy saving halogen light bulbs - a good option if you have
halogen lights in your home. They consume around 30% less
electricity than standard halogen bulbs.
- LED lights - these have progressed rapidly in recent years and
can now be used to replace existing halogen spotlights.
More information about the range and technical specification of
bulbs is available from the
Energy Saving Trust.
Free energy saving light bulbs
Start collecting those free light bulbs now, the scheme to hand
out free energy saving light bulbs will come to an end this year as
the Government concentrates on new ways to help households cut
energy. Power companies across the country have distributed more
than 150 million energy saving light bulbs which has helped to meet
Government targets to improve energy efficiency in homes. However
due to changes introduced by the Department for Energy and Climate
Change (DECC), energy companies can no longer include the
distribution of light bulbs in energy efficiency targets from
January 2010.
Instead the new Community Energy Saving Programme which replaces
the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (Cert), will ask energy
companies to provide experts to advise people on how to
improve efficiency; for example, helping the elderly and other
vulnerable groups to fit insulation and giving low income
households low energy "makeovers".