Combat Festive Price Hikes With Energy-Saving Light Bulbs

A rise in energy prices now occurs so frequently that it is almost a Christmas tradition in itself. British Gas has announced that millions of their customers will face a 7% energy hike just in time for the festive season, adding around £1.50 to the average weekly gas and electricity bill. The price hike kicks into gear on December 10^th, just in time for the festive season, and traditionally the time when many homeowners start to utilise the most electricity, what with the extra Christmas lights and the colder weather. Wholesale prices are said to have risen by 25% since spring this year, and those who are with British Gas will surely be looking for any possible way in which they can cut back their energy bills over this expensive Christmas period.

Fitting the home with energy-saving light bulbs before the festive season kicks in is a great way to ensure that there won’t be any nasty shocks where energy bills are concerned. However, with a hundred and one things to do before the 25^th December, is there really time to completely change the lighting solutions within a home? The answer where energy-saving light bulbs are concerned is yes. One of the most prevalent myths in relation to switching to energy-saving lighting methods is that all existing fixtures must be taken out, re-wired and re-fitted. This is completely untrue; Energy Saving GLS Bulbs all use the conventional Edison Screw Caps or Bayonet Caps, and are completely compatible with the majority of existing fixtures already within the home. Just one 11-watt GLS bulb will see a huge reduction in energy consumption, with 80% less energy used to create the same amount of light as a harmful halogen bulb.

Using a dimmable bulb is also a superb way to save money on energy bills. Sometimes during the morning or the evening, having a light blasting at full power does not produce an energy-friendly environment but using a Dimmable Energy Saving Light Bulb ensures that consumers have total control over the amount of light they are using. The savings can also be incredible when using these innovative bulbs, with predications estimating that around £194.20 in average electricity bills can be saved over the lifespan of just one dimmable bulb.

There are also some festive options for those who want to decorate their home ready for Christmas but don’t want to pay over the odds in doing so. Features such as solar panels powering outdoor lights can help to minimise energy consumption, as well as bulbs like the Energy Saving Coloured Spiral Light Bulb. A red or a yellow bulb placed in any normal fixture creates a festive Christmassy glow when placed in an alcove or even on a front porch, and with projected savings of around £51.00 per bulb over its lifespan, they are perfect to combat the harmful energy price hikes this Christmas.

Host A Switch-On Worthy Of Any Celebrity This Christmas

Artists such as Robbie Williams, McFLY, The Wanted and JLS have been confirmed to be switching on the public Christmas lights up and down the country in huge extravaganzas over the coming weeks. In some of the country’s biggest cities, such as London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Birmingham, some of the UK’s biggest stars will be welcomed and will put on a spectacular show before they press the all-important button that switches on the festive decorations for the remainder of the Christmas period.  Many people around the home might decide to host their own Christmas light switch-on over the coming weeks, as they complete their traditional decorative displays and turn them on for the first time. BLT Direct is a premier provider of lighting solutions that can outshine any celebrity switch-on ceremony, with low prices to fit festive budgets, and high-quality that will last for many winters to come.

One of the most popular ways to form the basis of a large display is to line windows, fences and other vertical surfaces with Snowing Outdoor Icicle Lights, which have an authentic Christmas look when turned to any of their different settings. Pulsating at different speeds or simply remaining static, these lights are perfect to boost Christmas spirit and their neutral white colour won’t clash with more colourful elements of the display. These chains of lights come in sets of up to 720 bulbs, so they can practically cover the entirety of the outside of a house or other building, and they are perfectly appropriate for outdoor usage. Prices at BLT Direct start at just £29.99.

To bring a little Christmas cheer to the inside of the home and continue the theme of a display on the transition from outdoor to indoor, swapping some of the regular bulbs around the house with a Coloured GU10 LED Bulb is a cost-effective solution. These bulbs don’t require any extra fittings or fixtures, and adding a warm red light or a warm yellow glow to the area around a Christmas tree, or in a hallway, can give a home a much more festive feel. These bulbs are also great for energy-saving; running costs compared to GU10 halogen bulbs are down by around 80%, so the electricity bills need not be sky-high this Christmas season. The GU10 LED bulbs start from just £5.99 at BLT Direct.

Not everyone has the time to produce a show-stopping lighting display at Christmas, but there are more subtle ways in which the festive season can be referenced in the home. Candle Bridge Arch Lights are a wonderfully understated way to decorate a mantelpiece, a windowsill or a dining table this Christmas. There are plenty of different varieties to choose from, in varying colours, shapes and sizes, but all of them are a stylish and simplistic way to add to festive decorations. Prices start at just £9.90 for a seven-bulb arch.