Change to LED's to Save Money.

[Taffy, Wales]

Can switching to energy saving light bulbs really save you £100 a year? | Daily Mail Online

By 2018 the EU will have banned Halogen light bulbs ,as part of its energy conservation program.

The Link tells us its cost saving to change to LED' lighting.
I was never a fan of the slow to warm up compact florescent lights,but did change over to them in the high usage fittings.
Earlier this year we had to change a light fitting in the kitchen and went for an LED one to replace an Halogen one,
I must say I was very pleasantly surprised at how clean and bright the lighting was ,so much so we changed some wall lights to LED and again pleasantly surprised.
So Have you thought of ,or actually change from the old bulbs to LED...Taffy

[History Addict, Alfreton]

Hi Taffy

This is a trade I know something about. Compact fluorescent bulbs will also be withdrawn in the not too distant future - it will be shortly banned for importers then supply will gradually reduce as retail supplies dwindle.

LEDs are definitely the way forward. Wattage is much lower, life expectancy is considerably longer and prices are coming down rapidly.

[Malcolm, Essex]

I have a number of LED bulbs offering wattages of 11w or less, yet providing the equivalent of an old style 100w incandescant bulb.

The best ones seem to be on-line, the shops still don't offer much too choice.

However some LED light can be rather white and a little harsh. I doubt if they really last as long as many of the manufacturers claim.

Below is a good replacement for 100W, using just 11 watts.

I would say that it is 'nearly' as bright, although the light quality is somewhat different. It also sends light out at about 180 degrees down, rather than illuminating the ceiling as well.

Not everybody will like them!

MiniSun High Power 11w LED BC B22 SMD GLS Bulb - 1000 Lumens - Warm White: Amazon.co.uk: Lighting

As for saving money: I bet most of us are now using mini-florescent bulbs at 20-25w. The LED types at present can cost £7-8 each. If you only save 10-15w per bulb and your house does not have hundreds, I suspect it will take quite a long time to cover the cost of the new bulbs and make a saving.

However, assuming the LEDs bulbs keep functioning, you will make eventually make a saving.

I'd rather give my money to a bulb company that an electric company!

[History Addict, Alfreton]

When you are looking at the light output of a bulb you need to consider 2 different things. There is the colour which is measured in kelvin (or k) and which ranges from a warm, yellow light (usually 2700k) through a medium to a cold almost blue light (typically 6400k). You also need to consider brightness which is measured in lumens. Any bulb advert should contain this as basic information but if you can't find the information you need, just ask the question online with either eBay or Amazon and the seller will usually come back to you with advice very quickly.

The internet gives you access to a large variety of sizes, shapes, colours and expertise which you will not find in your average supermarket. Now there are so many different types of bulbs to choose from you really need to look online to get the best deals.

[Taffy, Wales]

I have a number of LED bulbs offering wattages of 11w or less, yet providing the equivalent of an old style 100w incandescant bulb.

The best ones seem to be on-line, the shops still don't offer much too choice.

However some LED light can be rather white and a little harsh. I doubt if they really last as long as many of the manufacturers claim.

Below is a good replacement for 100W, using just 11 watts.

I would say that it is 'nearly' as bright, although the light quality is somewhat different. It also sends light out at about 180 degrees down, rather than illuminating the ceiling as well.

Not everybody will like them!

MiniSun High Power 11w LED BC B22 SMD GLS Bulb - 1000 Lumens - Warm White: Amazon.co.uk: Lighting

As for saving money: I bet most of us are now using mini-florescent bulbs at 20-25w. The LED types at present can cost £7-8 each. If you only save 10-15w per bulb and your house does not have hundreds, I suspect it will take quite a long time to cover the cost of the new bulbs and make a saving.

However, assuming the LEDs bulbs keep functioning, you will make eventually make a saving.

I'd rather give my money to a bulb company that an electric company!

The bulb you highlighted cannot be dimmed which cuts the cost by quite a bit.
And I found the warm white is a nice clean light, we have a local shop who stocks both fittings and LED bulbs and are happy to demonstrate the differences between bulbs .
Nice to see those ceiling lights can now be changed using LED bulbs...Taffy

[Nick_C, Worthing]

I've changed all my 50w halogen lamps to 4.5w LEDs. I've not calculated the saving, but from what I've read they should pay for themselves in around a year.

I bought Philips non-dimmable on-line for £4.62 a unit including delivery (I bought 20 to get that price). Dimmable ones are £5.99.

I used energybulbs.co.uk. Top Cashback are currently offering 10% with this retailer.

Philips 4.5W-50W GU10 CorePro MV LEDspot - (36°) - Non-Dimmable GU10 LEDs

Philips 5.3W Dimmable GU10 LED Value Range - (36°) - Dimmable GU10 LEDs

[Old Sea Dog, Stockport]

.
My grandson works in the lighting design industry, specifically using LEDs. He replaced the halogens in our kitchen with white LEDs but with built in diffusers which soften and spread the light more evenly.
My grandson deals with trade only but he recommended MyGreenLighting: Energy Saving Light Bulbs & Low Energy Lighting as a reliable on line source with a wide choice of LEDs.
Cheers OSD

[JohnR, Chippenham]

We bought shedloads of the "new fangled" compact fluorescents when the then Government made the power companies give them away at less than 30 pence each. We have enough to see us out and our children so will not be buying any new types.

[Taffy, Wales]

Thanks to those who posted links , they will come in handy when we move house?...Taffy

[Topdeck, London]

There are places like Screwfix/toolstation as well as the big electrical retailers like TLC direct.