LEDs, how cheap they are to run...and why you should bin any traditional bulbs

The headlines

LED light bulbs use a tiny amount of electricity. A typical LED light bulb will only cost a penny in electricity for 7 hours of light. A traditional incandescent or halogen bulb will cost around 9 pence to run for the same amount of time.

If you still use any traditional bulbs the costs add, as much as £27 of electricity for a single light bulb over its lifetime. I recommend you ditch them ALL now, including any spares you have lurking in a cupboard in the cupboard.

Here you will find clear information on the costs of different types of bulbs, common misunderstandings explained, and some tips.

This is one area of home energy efficiency where many people feel they have clear knowledge. Lighting is visible and controllable, and specialist help isn't usually needed to make changes to reduce costs. Minimising the costs of lighting is easy, inexpensive and very worthwhile. As well as turning off unnecessary lighting, moving to lower energy lighting alternatives brings significant results.

Traditional bulb types

The panel below shows the running costs for a standard traditional incandescent 60-Watt light bulb, compared to more efficient alternatives. These costings are based on a bulb being used 4 hours daily for a year.

As you can see, LED bulb running costs are around a tenth of the traditional bulb, so a house that is fully converted to LED lighting uses very little energy. LED bulbs are now widely available, bright, and very reliable. LED light bulbs typically just over 1 penny to run for just 7 hours.

Strip fluorescent tubes

Strip fluorescent tube lighting is still used in some homes, typically in kitchens and utility rooms. A single fluorescent tube is typically around 60 Watts, so running costs will be similar to the bulbs above for each strip. LED alternatives exist to replace fluorescent tubes, too.

Halogen spotlights

The panel below shows a comparison of the other very common type of bulb in the home, the halogen spotlight. These are particularly expensive to run, as homes usually have multiple sets of this type of bulb in the same room.

As you can see below, LED bulbs are again incredibly cheap to run compared to the traditional halogen spot bulb. The costs shown here are just for a single bulb, so for a room with multiple spotlights, total running costs can soon add up to very large amounts.

There are good LED replacement spotlights now for ALL sizes of halogen bulbs, even ones in extractor hoods (see later) and they are all now very reliable with good light quality.

Common misunderstandings

There are two types of halogen spotlight bulbs. One type runs directly off mains electricity. They are GU10 bulbs.
The others run on low voltage and are powered by a dedicated power converter unit which is usually hidden in the floor or roof space nearby. These bulbs are type MR16. A common misunderstanding is that low-voltage spotlight bulbs use less energy than high voltage bulbs. THEY DO NOT! A 50 Watt bulb, designed to run off mains electricity, will use exactly the same amount of energy as a 50 Watt bulb designed to run off low voltage!

Some people are hesitant to buy LED light bulbs as they don’t believe they can be as bright as traditional bulbs. This was certainly the case with early bulbs. However, the technology has improved dramatically, and LED bulbs are now astonishingly bright.

Practical tips

If you are unsure what types of bulbs you have, an easy clue is how hot they get. Conventional incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs of all types get VERY hot: you physically can’t touch them without risking burning yourself. It is because they generate (and waste) so much heat that they use so much energy and cost so much to run. LED bulbs get warm, but nowhere near as hot as incandescent and halogen bulbs.
Don’t wait for a traditional incandescent or halogen bulb to fail before replacing it with an LED bulb. It is much cheaper in the long run to bin all your traditional bulbs and replace them with LED bulbs at the earliest opportunity. Bin spares too!
An LED bulb will always say 'LED' somewhere on it!
Most LED bulbs now quote the amount of light output they give in 'lumens'. An LED bulb that has a light output of 850 lumens or more is about as bright as a traditional 60 Watt light bulb.
Use light rather than dark lamp shades: this will mean you can use lower power bulbs, or fewer lights, in a room.
LED bulbs can be bought with a variety of shades of white (warm white through to cool white), so you can choose different bulbs for different rooms or applications in the home.

Smart bulbs

There is a wide range of smart bulbs on the market now, that can link to phones, WiFi etc. These only have a limited ability to actually save you energy. Their main advantage is that they can be controlled remotely and do clever things, such as make the house look occupied when you out, or change colour. They actually use a small amount of power just to keep them powered up, though it won’t be much.

Outside security lights

These are typically high-power bulbs, but if they are only on for occasional short durations (such as when triggered by a sensor), the energy they consume in a year will be minimal. It IS possible to buy LED versions of security light bulbs, which can be changed without the need for a qualified electrician.

Cooker extractor hoods

These bulbs are almost always halogen. If they are regularly used for long periods, then I recommend replacing their bulbs with LED alternatives. These bulbs are unusual and quite varied (usually a type called G4). Good quality LED alternatives are only around £3 from places like Toolstation and electrical supplies shops.

The assumptions above are all based on a 5W LED bulb and the 27p electricity rate from October 23.

Candles

Candles are a significant fire hazard and should not be used for lighting or providing heat or light. They are also the most expensive way of providing light or heat. See my other article about using candles and why they are not a wise choice. They are also a source of harmful indoor air pollution.

Do subscribe for updates if you like what you've read here.

I run this website as a hobby, because I care about this stuff, and do it for no commercial purpose. If you have valued what you've seen, please tell other people about it.

If you have any other suggestions for additions or changes to site content do please let me know. While I have made every effort to ensure that the information contained on this website is correct, I cannot take responsibility for errors or omissions.

All content on the site should be treated as information and not advice. You should take professional advice where appropriate to different site articles.

Thanks.

Mark Thompson

Get Energy Savvy - simple practical home energy efficiency information