COOLmob often audit homes that are over-lit and have energy intensive lighting types. For some families lighting makes up a significant amount of quarterly energy bills. The good news though is that switching to energy efficient lighting is one of the easiest ways to reduce your energy bills. If you have halogen or compact fluorescent lights in your home, switching over to LEDs is a simple way to reduce your energy costs. 

LED lighting

Light emitting diodes, known as LEDs are very energy-efficient light bulbs. Because they’re able to convert 60% of electricity into light, compared to only 5-10% for compact fluorescents, these lights use much less energy. Compared to halogen bulbs, LEDs use 75% less energy and last 5 to 10 times longer. Have a look at this graph from Energy Rating comparing the lifetime cost of LEDs, CFLs and halogens (Australian Energy Foundation, 2020).

If your existing fitting is a GU10 (and not a pin fitting as in the second image) then you do not need an electrician to remove the transformer and replace the lamp holder and fitting. You can simply put the CFL globe straight in and start cutting your power bills immediately! If you are unsure, take one globe out and take it to a lighting shop to ask what the correct fitting is. The lighting shop will be able to tell you what type of replacement globes to buy.

There are also lots of alternatives online so make sure you shop around for the best result.

Down Lighting

There are an array of lighting types on the market. A common down light is the tungsten halogen, which is also a very energy intensive light and therefore expensive to run. Remember: A low voltage lamp does not mean it uses less power. If you want to use less power you need a lamp with a lower wattage light. 

Easy savings from lighting

• Turn the lights OFF every time you leave the room. It is a common myth that it takes more energy to turn on a light than you save by turning it off when not needed
• Don’t over-light areas
• If you have more than one light on a switch (as is common when using halogen down lighting), consider removing some of the globes to reduce the amount of power used per switch
• Optimise natural lighting where possible. Make sure rooms are well lit with the curtains open to let the light in

Longer term savings

• Install movement sensors to outside lighting
• Install a skylight to high use areas such as the kitchen, living room, bathroom or laundry
• Re-wire lights that are on the same switch so only the lights that are needed come on (for example separate the lights in the kitchen so only sections come on at once)
• Have an electrician remove the transformer and replace pin fittings and lamp holders with GU10 fittings that are compatible with more energy efficient lighting types