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Environment and greener living
Energy saving light bulbs
One of the ways you can save energy in your home is to use energy saving light bulbs. These can last up to 10 times longer than traditional bulbs and can save you money on your electricity bills. Find out how these bulbs work and how to recycle them.
What’s wrong with traditional light bulbs?
Traditional light bulbs are very inefficient at converting electricity to light, as they waste 95 per cent of the electricity they use in creating heat.
This wasted energy adds to your carbon footprint, so reducing the amount of energy used to light your home will not only save you money, but help save the planet.
To help reduce the UK’s carbon emissions, 100 watt light bulbs will be withdrawn from the shops from September 2009. Over the next two years, 75 watt and 60 watt light bulbs will also be taken off the shelves. By 2012, all 40 watt and 25 watt bulbs will disappear from sale.
Save money with energy saving light bulbs
Energy saving light bulbs are also known as compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). They fit into standard light fittings and are up to 80 per cent more efficient at turning energy into light.
CFLs can last as much as 10 times longer than a normal light bulb, so they could save you up to £37 a year if you fit them throughout your house.
You could also replace traditional light bulbs with halogen bulbs. These are not as efficient as CFLs, but they still use between 25 and 40 per cent less energy than traditional light bulbs.
How to recycle energy saving light bulbs
Energy saving bulbs contain a small amount of mercury – just enough to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen. The mercury can’t escape from a light bulb when it is being used, but you must be careful of how you recycle them.
You should not throw CFL bulbs into the normal rubbish, or into the household recycling bins provided by your local council, as the mercury could escape if the bulb gets broken.
In most parts of the UK, CFL bulbs can be recycled at your local waste and recycling centre. You can find your nearest recycling centre by contacting your local council.
To find out more about mercury in light bulbs, visit the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
How to deal with a broken CFL bulb
If you break a CFL bulb at home, you should open the windows for 15 minutes and leave the room to air. Broken light bulbs should be carefully gathered up with kitchen paper (not a brush, or vacuum cleaner), using rubber gloves to protect your hands.
Wipe the area with a damp cloth afterwards, and put the broken pieces of glass and the cloth into a plastic bag and seal it.
You must not throw the bag in your normal household rubbish, but take it to your local waste and recycling centre.
Are energy saving light bulbs safe?
All energy saving bulbs are safe to be used in the home. However, some people who are using these lights at close range for over an hour at a time may be affected by the ultra violet (UV) light the bulbs give off.
People with some types of light sensitive conditions can also be affected by CFLs. You can find more details of these health risks in a report on the European Commission (EC) website.
More details of the safety advice for CFLs can be found at the Health protection Agency (HPA) website.
