Energy and Cost Saving

Energy Savings

Here we will consider the energy efficiency of the 4 main technologies for energy saving light bulbs , traditional incandescent, Halogen Bulbs , Compact Fluorescent Lights CFL and Light Emitting Diode LED Bulbs . For simplicity we will take a 60W standard incandescent bulb and compare it to approximate equivalent bulb wattage needed for the other technologies to produce the same level of light output. The table below shows the 4 approximately equivalents bulbs and the energy saving compared to the standard incandescent light bulb.

Energy Saving Light Bulb Efficiency Savings

It is clear to see from this table the massive savings that can be accrued through the use of energy saving bulbs. This has the dual benefit of saving cost and contributing to the green environment to assure a sustainable future. Clearly to then work out the actual cost saving it is necessary to work into the equation the cost of the bulb and the price of electricity.

Electricity Costs

To look at this in more detail lets analyse the annual electricity costs for a single 40 watt, 60 watt and 100 watt bulb, and then for a household with 10 and 20 bulbs of 60 watts each. In this calculation we have assumed that bulbs are used 4 hours per day and the electricity cost of 13p per kWhour.

Annual electricity costs

This table clearly shows that the annual electricity costs for a single bulb used for 4 hours per day is over £11 and that the electrical bill for a household with the equivalent of 20, 60watt bulbs being used is typically over £200 per year. These high costs clearly empahise the importance of using energy saving bulbs.

Electricity Cost Savings

The table below now looks at the same example cases in the annual electricity costs analysis and calculates the annual cost savings that can be made by using Halogen, CFL and LED light bulbs compared to the traditional incandescent bulbs.

Now the above table shows that the potential savings in electricity for a household with the equivalent of 20, 60watt bulbs being used is typically over £170 per year for CFL light bulbs and a massive £201 when using LED light bulbs.

Another way to look at this is by using the above calculation this means that a CFL bulb which costs £4.50 would pay for itself in under 6 months!!