Electricity prices in Victoria are predicted to surge 11.5% in 2020. In the average Victorian home, lighting accounts for about 15% of the total electricity bill. So how can you reduce your lighting costs? Are there better options than sitting in the dark or using candles?
What is an LED light?
LED stands for Light Emitting Diodes. Put simply, this type of light bulb uses a diode rather than a heated filament to produce light.
What is halogen light?
Halogens are a type of incandescent light bulb which uses halogen gas in order to produce light. This means these bulbs are extremely hot compared to an LED bulb.
Why are LED lights cheaper to run?
The cost of running a light bulb is calculated by how many watts it takes to run it continuously for one hour. How many lights are in your home and how long they are switched on will impact on your electricity bill.
LED bulbs can use anywhere from 7-20 watts per hour, whereas halogens use anywhere from 35 to 500 watts an hour to emit the same amount of light, which makes LEDs are much cheaper to run.
The average life span of an LED bulb is also about 41 times more than a halogen bulb, so that’s about 50,000 hours of life vs 1,200 hours, which means you don’t need to replace them for about ten years.
LEDs are also significantly brighter as the light does not dissipate as much halogen bulbs, so they are far better at concentrating light in one direction.
How are LEDs safer than Halogen lights?
House fires have been attributed to halogen lights. Why? Because halogen lights and their transformers produce a lot of heat which can ignite substances like paper, dust and insulation batts, particularly if the lights have not been installed correctly. LED lights produce 80% less heat than a halogen light, so they never get hot enough to burn your fingers or ignite any materials that might come into contact with them.
How do LEDs help the environment?
Not only are LEDs cheaper to run and burn at lower temperatures than halogen bulbs, they also help reduce greenhouse emissions. By using less power at home, you reduce the demand on the power plant, so less coal gets burnt. LED bulbs also do not contain any toxic substances like mercury.
LED bulbs are also now being produced can also be controlled by your smartphone, giving you ultimate control over your home lighting settings from anywhere in your home.
Can’t I just get free LED bulbs from the Government?
The State Government Energy Efficiency Program does offer free replacement LED bulbs for halogen bulbs. These free bulbs tend to not be very bright and do not function efficiently because they are placed in the old halogen light fixture. And replacing the bulb only solves half of the problem – the transformer attached to the fixture remains in place in your ceiling which heats up and poses a fire risk.
So if you would like to save money on your home lighting costs and make your home safer at the same time, give us a call to arrange your halogen downlight replacement. Our electricians can help you to select the right wattage light in the right colour temperature for your home.
Call 1300 761 024 today for a FREE quote on swapping over your old halogen lights to LEDs.
Or simply complete this online form and an O'Brien Electrical specialist will be in touch.
