There are several ways to reduce our energy consumption at home, and I believe using energy-efficient light bulbs and turning them off when leaving the room is the easiest way to save on energy bills. Moreover, the less electricity we consume, the better we tackle climate change.
Types of light bulbs and their energy consumption
The four main types of light bulbs for residential use are incandescent (aka standard), halogen, CFL (compact fluorescent lights), and LED. Whenever you buy a bulb, its packaging should tell you which kind of bulb you’re buying. As for their energy consumption, it is defined by two factors:
- the brightness of the light bulb, which measuring unit is the lumen (symbolised lm).
- the type of the light bulb of which the wattage varies.
| Brightness/ Types of bulbs | 250+ lm* | 450+ lm | 800+ lm | 1100+ lm | Average lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 25W* | 40W | 60W | 75W | 1 year |
| Halogen | 18W | 29W | 43W | 53W | 1 – 3 years |
| CFL | 6W | 9W | 14W | 18W | 6 – 10 years |
| LED | 4W | 7W | 12W | 15W | 15 – 22 years |
*lm (Lumen) – the unit of brightness
*W (Watts) – the power consumption unit
In short, the standard/regular light bulbs certainly use much more electricity than LED ones, e.g. 40W vs 7W (in 450+ lm). So unless you need special lighting for your work, such as setting up a home photography studio, you should change all the lights to LEDs to save your electricity bills. According to the statistics, the average number of light bulbs in a home is 67. Imagine how much energy use you can cut down by switching all of them from standard bulbs to LEDs!
Tips
- Count how many lights you have in the house that aren’t LED. Don’t forget to include the light bulbs that come with your lamps and those outdoor lights, too.
- Call your energy supplier to check if they provide a light bulb replacement service. My energy supplier once offered a free service for LED light replacement, so I took advantage of it.
Lights on or off overnight?
I clearly remember the first cultural shock I had when I moved to Ohio in the US for a one-year teaching exchange job. I arrived around 10 pm at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, and my taxi took me from the airport to my accommodation in the city centre.
When the taxi approached my place, I saw all the shops on the high street were lit. At that time, I thought those shops were still open for business. However, after chatting with my taxi driver, I learned that many shops have lights switched on throughout the night for security purposes, such as deterring thefts. Also, police patrols can quickly spot anything that goes wrong in the shop when lights are on.
I said that is a cultural shock because it’s not a common practice in my country. And I was brought up by believing that I should always switch off lights when leaving a room. So I am baffled why it’s such common conduct among retailers and office buildings in the US and the UK (where I am based now) to have many lights on at night even if no one is in the office.
I can’t entirely agree with this kind of practice because of the unnecessary energy consumption. According to Businesswaste.co.uk, the average 60-watt light bulb costs £78.36 a year to run if left on for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!
And more importantly, lighting contributes to nearly 6% of global carbon dioxide emissions (source: property industry eye), adding unnecessary stress to the current climate crisis.
So, if you could, please switch off lights when leaving a room. It might take time to get used to doing that, but just think of all the benefits of this 2-second action, including lower electricity use, cutting down carbon emissions and having a positive environmental impact.
Tips:
- Put a message board or sticky note near the room door to remind yourself to turn off the lights in the room. The message can be:
- Think green and turn off the lights.
- Save energy bills and turn off the lights.
- Think green, switch off and save the Earth.
- Alternatively, you could invest in smart lights, which can be controlled via an app on your mobile phone or by home automation systems, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home.
How about outdoor lighting?
Turning off lights should include those used in outdoor lighting, such as patio, garden and driveway lights. Lights certified for outdoor uses are usually more durable because they need to withstand all kinds of weather conditions. Whether outdoor lights use more electricity than indoor ones still depends on the type of bulbs you use and how bright you’d like them to be.
However, to be more energy-saving and eco-friendly, you can go for outdoor solar lights. As their name suggests, those lights are powered by solar energy, i.e. sunlight and give the flexibility that you can place them anywhere outdoors without worrying about connecting them to sockets.
Tips:
For your outdoor lighting, try to use the motion sensor lights, which are triggered to turn on by nearby movements, or dusk to dawn lights, which automatically turn on and off with the setting and rising of the sun. With those lights, you don’t need to worry whether you have switched off the lights when you get ready for bed.
Don’t forget home standby appliances
Those could include TVs, audio/video/gaming consoles, smart speakers, microwaves, coffee makers, washing machines, computers etc. A home gadget can usually be in one of the three modes: on, standby or off modes. Leaving appliances on standby would still drain the energy and add extra cost to your energy bills.
By switching these devices off, rather than leaving them on standby, it is estimated you could save around £30 a year.
Moneysupermarket.com
I always switch off the TV, microwave, kettle, and cooker before bed. In addition, we have a recliner sofa that uses electricity. So I make sure I switch its power off before bedtime, too. Lastly, I also switch off the washing machine as soon as I finish the laundry.
Tips:
In most households, only a fridge and freezer need to be on all the time, and the rest of the home appliances can be off when not in use. So, check which devices in your house can be in the off mode. If you hate to go around and switch those standby devices off one by one manually before bed, then using a power strip can save you a lot of time. Even better, you can consider installing smart power strips, which would automatically turn the standby devices to their off mode – you don’t even need to lift a finger!
Final thoughts
Getting rid of the least efficient type of lighting and turning off lights and standby devices might seem trivial. Still, I sincerely believe simple actions like these can make a big difference to our finances and the climate crisis. If ALL of us have this good day-to-day behaviour, we can cut so much waste in our energy system, burn much fewer fossil fuels and tackle climate change more efficiently. The money we save from our energy bills can also be used for something essential. Last but not least, you’ll feel good about yourself because you know you’re doing the right thing for yourself, your family, future generations and the Earth!
It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live.
Dalai Lama