Why switch to energy saving light bulbs?
Just one energy saving light bulb can reduce your lighting costs by up to £60 over the lifetime of the bulb. And with a wide variety of styles and wattages available, it's now even easier to choose the energy efficient option.
Traditional light bulbs waste a lot of their energy by turning it into heat rather than light. The common compact fluorescent bulbs work in the same way as fluorescent lights; an electric current passes through gas in a tube, making the tube's coating glow brightly. This means that they use less energy and are cool to the touch. Read our guide, What is an energy saving light bulb? for more information about how they work.
Energy saving light bulbs use a fifth to a quarter of the electricity of ordinary bulbs to generate the same amount of light. So where you'd normally use a 60W bulb, you'll only need a 13-18W energy saving recommended equivalent. See our wattage guide for more information.
The savings
Energy saving light bulbs last around 10 times longer than ordinary light bulbs and can save you up to £7 per year in electricity (and 26 kilograms of CO2 ) or £60 over the bulbs lifetime*
How the savings add up
If everyone installed just one energy saving light bulb the CO2 emissions saved would fill more than 1 million double decker buses. And if each house installed three energy saving bulbs, it would save enough energy to run the country's street lights for a year.
*Source: Energy Saving Trust