At the beginning of September, the European Union’s ruling that the traditional 60-Watt light bulbs be replaced by more energy efficient equivalents finally came into action. Much has been made in the press about the ruling, not least the effect it will have on the public, given that the new low-energy bulbs are slightly more expensive than their old counterparts. However, the savings to consumers over the longer term are significant and heavily outweigh any short term expense.
Two types of low energy bulbs are taking over the gap left by the banning of incandescent light bulbs. Better known are energy saving or compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which are already available in hardware stores and supermarkets up and down the country. A more recent addition, is the emergence of LED lighting as a potential highly energy efficient mainstream light source.
Is LED Sustainable?
Often considered a specialist light, LED light source have entered the mainstream market in recent years. LEDs typically last 30,000 to 50,000 hours, compared to roughly 1,000 hours for the old incandescent light bulbs and, although more expensive to purchase, are more cost efficient over their life-time. They will last many more years in normal use and use 80% less power than their incandescent predecessor thus saving consumers significant money on electricity bills, many times more than the difference in purchase price
Whilst the early examples of energy efficient light bulbs were criticised for varying light quality, the same cannot be said for either the latest CFLs or LED light bulbs. In addition, both CFLs and LEDs operate at much lower temperatures, meaning no more burnt fingers from over-keen adults or adventurous toddlers.
MEGAMAN® has recently been working with Dutch architects on a new eco-home in Soestduinen, Netherlands. The Green Home is kitted out with the latest in energy efficient technology and has MEGAMAN® lighting products throughout – from low-heat emitting 15 watt LED reflectors in the wine cellar, 5 watt LED reflectors to distribute an ambient light over pieces of art, to the ultra slim GX53 CFL series that have been used for mood lighting throughout the office and bedroom areas. The efficient and eco-friendly MEGAMAN® lighting scheme is estimated to save the home owner £130,000 over the bulb’s lifetime – the equivalent of ten years. Compared to a traditional lighting scheme the eco-friendly alternative shall save an estimated quarter of a million kilograms of CO².
With LED technology constantly improving, the age of LEDs being restricted to specialised lighting for kitchens or decorative lamps has long passed. As with The Green Home in the Netherlands, MEGAMAN® LEDs and CFLs offer significant environmental benefits, and being flexible and multiuse, they offer significant saving on the ever-increasing electricity bills of today.
