Are You Getting The Most Out Of Your Energy Saving Lightbulbs?

We all know that energy saving light bulbs boast significant advantages over the traditional incandescent bulb. Miles of column inches and acres of virtual space in the form of web pages have been given over to the benefits of energy saving light bulbs. Magazines, newspapers, radio stations and DIY experts have been extolling the virtues of less wasted energy, smaller heat production and longer lamp life for so long that most households have switched onto eco-friendly lighting alternatives as incandescent bulbs have worn out and been replaced. But, do you know if you’re really capitalising on your switch to being green?

Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail has recently completed a research project into how best to use energy saving lightbulbs and the most efficient ways to use them to truly benefit from the savings on offer. They discovered that…

1. Be careful where you position the bulbs: After speaking to a lighting technology firm, the newspaper discovered that the position of a bulb can make a real difference to its lifespan. Lights that are recessed or enclosed in some way will fare poorly against their advertised life spans – although energy savers like GU10 bulbs emit around 80% less heat than their old fashioned counterparts, some heat will become trapped around the bulb and disrupt its performance capabilities if it is too tightly enclosed.

2. Although we normally associate turning lights off when we leave a room as being better for the environment, an architect interviewed by The Globe and Mail advised that energy saving light bulbs should be left on for a minimum of four hours at a time in order to maximise the number of lit hours they will run for. Leaving bulbs on for an hour or less can reduce the potential operating span of the bulb by up to 50%.

3. As well as considering whether or not the bulb will be too tightly enclosed and its ability to function for longer than an incandescent bulb impeded by the residual heat, The Globe and Mail spoke to Popular Mechanics, who advised against placing low energy bulbs next to front or back doors as the vibrations caused by slamming the doors could also shorten lamp life.

Energy Saving Light Bulb Wins $10 Million Government Prize

An energy saving light bulb has won a coveted $10 million award funded by the US government. Scooping the Brighter Tomorrow Lighting Prize was a long term commitment and required the production of a light bulb that was both highly efficient and high quality. It was also required to be a realistic mass market alternative to the common light bulb which is being phased out in American amidst a fierce political and consumer debate about viable alternatives.

Sponsored by the US Department of Energy, the government-backed competition was created to President Obama’s administration to find a replacement for Thomas Edison’s ubiquitous invention. Designed to stimulate innovation and market adoption, the inaugural competition stated at the outset that it was setting the bar high ad that realistic prize candidates would have to develop a very special kind of lighting solution capable of transforming the way the United States is lit.

The winning energy saving light bulb design was a visionary product by Dutch firm, Philips. The bulb, dubbed the EnduraLED was subject to months of testing and data crunching before being declared the winner a whopping two years after the initial competition entry was submitted.

The Philips vision of the new generation of energy saving light bulbs underwent stress tests, lifetime tests and performance tests, carried out by a team of independent laboratories and field assessors. During the field tests, the prototype entry was used in everyday situations and its performance measured – these scenarios included being used in hallways, lamps and offices as well as stress testing involving exposure to extremes of temperatures, humidity and vibration.

After sailing through the tests, the EnduraLED was officially named as a replacement for the 60W incandescent bulb this week. The L-Prize award winning is an LED light bulb that directly replaces a standard bulb but, wastes less power to produce the same amount of light as its 125 year old predecessor.

The Philips EnduraLED boasts a $40 per bulb price tag but UK homeowners and purchase managers can tap into the same kind of energy savings with any one of the LED bulbs or other energy savers stocked by BLT Direct. The online retailer offers a wide choice of energy efficient lighting, including the popular GU10 bulbs which start at just £4.99.

To browse the entire range of energy saving bulbs from BLT Direct and buy online, visit http://www.bltdirect.com

Don’t Pay Over The Odds for Energy Saving Light Bulbs

Transport for London is paying anything from £100 to £1000 to change a lightbulb, each time one of their four million London Underground bulbs needs swapping. These figures, revealed by energy consultancy, Active Energy earlier this month shed light on just how much money is wasted by big businesses. An estimated £12 of the total cost is for the light bulb itself, with the rest of the bill being made up of logistics requirements such as site preparation and health and safety checks. In total, it is though that £400 million - £4 billion pounds per year is spent on the changing of light bulbs by the transport network.

These figures highlight just how easy it is to let energy costs escalate, confirms BLT Direct, suppliers of great value energy saving lightbulbs and lamps. The online retailer stocks a huge range of energy saving bulbs such as GU10 and LED light bulbs, all of which cost considerably less than the amounts being spent by Transport for London.

Suitable for use in the home and workplace, the BLT Direct website contains a handy wattage estimator, which helps those making the change from old style incandescent bulbs to an energy friendly alternative pick the correct product for existing fittings and fixtures.

A web site section dedicated to energy saving lighting also contains helpful hints about saving money on energy bills. It gives energy saving comparisons and a library of information about lighting, light bulbs and light fittings.

The site also makes it easy for businesses and homes to keep energy saving lightbulb costs down with a choice of brand name bulbs and special offers. The Energy Saving GU10 7 Watt (Daylight - 6500K) bulb is just one example, priced at £4.99 (reduced from £9.99). Other reductions include the Energy Saving Mini 9 watt PLEQ Lamp BC, reduced from £6.90 to £4.26.

To browse the entire range and buy online, visit http://www.bltdirect.com