Go Greener Tips

Energy saving lamps can reduce your carbon footprint and save you money.

According to a report in britain.tv, replacing just one 100w lamp with a low–energy 100w lamp can save you the same amount of electricity it would take to boil the water for 1,200 cups of tea. And it will help the environment too.

By the end of 2011, the Government, working with retailers and backed up by European legislation, will have phased out the sale of inefficient lamps. But you can do your bit now.

Electricity saving products that really are energy saving if fitted correctly, see electrical fittings. When electricity is generated, mercury is emitted from power stations. Therefore, if you use energy efficient lamp it reduces the amount of electricity generated, thereby reducing mercury emissions — which in turn helps you to better help the environment.

On a financial level, by improving your lighting you can reduce your electricity bill by using fluorescent tubes and energy efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). These small fluorescent lamps fit into standard light sockets and use mercury to generate light more efficiently. The mercury creates an ultraviolet light, and a special coating in the lamp then changes it into the light we see, but it only uses a minimal amount of mercury, around 4 milligrams per lamp. They also use energy to produce more light than heat, as opposed to standard lamps, where an electric current passes through a thin metal wire, wasting huge amounts of energy in heat.

Whilst they are slightly more expensive than standard lamps they will more than compensate for the initial outlay as they can last up to ten times longer. Nowadays they offer a comparable brightness and colour rendering, and are available in a range of colours.

CFLs are best used in areas where they are left on for a few hours at a time, as frequent switching on and off reduces their life.

Most energy efficient lamps are not compatible with dimmer switches, however manufacturers are working towards making them widely available. An alternative would be the use of a dimmer switch, which is a another convenient way to substantially increase energy savings and lamp life.

According to DEFRA…

…changing from a standard household lamp to a Low–energy CFL–1 lamp can save you £9 per year or £100 over its 1114 hour average life time.

The aim of phasing out traditional lamps is “to save up to 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by 2012 from UK electricity generation — the equivalent to the carbon emissions of a typical 1 Gigawatt coal fired power station”.

See how easy it is to reduce your carbon footprint and make electricity savings? this is a common question asked on a regular occurrence.

All you have to do is replace your lamps — and if you look out for the Energy Saving Trust’s ‘Energy Saving Recommended’ logo on them, you can be sure they will give out the same warm light level as your old standard ones too.

Renewable energy indeed is effective and has helped thousands of household nowadays in cutting their electricity bill. It is not necessary that we will be enslaved by electricity suppliers with their expensive electricity. We can always study basic solar energy facts and renewable energy information on http://www.freealternativeenergyresources.com/ and learn how to save and use electricity wisely.

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