Lighting choices

There are many types of lighting available for use in the home today. Lighting choices have improved a lot in recent times and now offers us the following alternatives:

Traditional incandescent bulbs Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) Standard Halogen (High efficiency) Dichroic and IRC halogens Strip Fluorescent lighting

All light bulbs are now labelled for efficiency in a similar way to kitchen appliance labelling (though generally it is printed directly onto the product packaging) so you can always check how efficient your chosen product is before purchase. The label will also allow you to check on other important lighting information which will help to inform your purchase, including the average rated lamp life. For most people the choice will be between the conventional incandescent and CFLs. And while an individual CFL may be more expensive, they last significantly longer (up to 10 times, or in some cases even more) meaning they actually cost less to purchase in the long run and they use only one fifth of the energy.

In some situations the use of strip fluorescent lighting may be appropriate - if this is the case then be sure to use the 26mm tubes which are 10 -15% more efficient than their 38mm counterparts.

Better light with less energy

The lamps available on the market can have very different energy efficiency, which is expressed by the European lamp energy label on an A to G scale. If you choose an A-grade lamp, you will make important savings on your electricity bill. This video developed by the European Commission highlights the light bulboptions availabile to you as a consumer. For more information please visit www.e-lumen.eu.