1. Aren’t energy saving bulbs much dimmer than traditional ones?
Whilst Energy Saving light bulbs once had a reputation for being dim this is now outdated. Most modern varieties – produced by household brands – are just as bright as traditional bulbs and give an equally ‘warm’ light.

2. Aren’t energy saving light bulbs full of mercury and other toxins?
A standard energy saving light bulb contains 3 to 4 milligrams of mercury- whilst a standard thermometer contains at least 100 times more mercury! Indeed, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs states that the amount of mercury in lamps is less than the mercury that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere by coal-fire power generation to produce the energy used by an incandescent lamp.

3. Why has my local supermarket stopped selling traditional light bulbs?
From 1st September 2009, retailers in the UK were no longer allowed to buy traditional 100MW tungsten bulbs from their suppliers- they can however, still sell them until their supplies run out. Other wattage of bulbs will be phased out in a similar manner by 2012. Whilst many retailers chose to stockpile their traditional light bulbs, it is possible that some of the smaller retailers near you will run out of stocks quicker as they’ll have more limited storage in their shop.

4. How much would I save by using energy saving light bulbs? Aren’t they more expensive to begin with?
Again, they used to be, but nowadays you’ll find them competitively priced with the traditional bulbs. In fact, the Energy Saving Trust estimates that not only will they last longer, but you save around £2.50 a year per bulb in energy bills – so you’ll save around a total of £65 in energy and replacement costs over the lifetime of each bulb.

5. Is this banning the sale of traditional bulbs (yet another) thing that the EU is forcing on us?
Whilst there is an EU-wide directive covering the sale of traditional bulbs, the UK also has its own voluntary agreement with major retailers which actually goes further – stopping the sale of traditional bulbs a year earlier than the rest of the EU. The UK has also, uniquely in Europe, committed itself to cuts in carbon emissions outside any international treaty. Restricting the sales of traditional bulbs is regarded as being the “low hanging fruit” of the fight against climate change as it’s an easy, cost-positive way of cutting carbon quickly.

6. Don’t energy saving light bulbs need time to warm up?
Again, this is something that energy savings bulbs have got a bad reputation for but now, it’s undeserved. A modern energy saving bulb will only take one or two seconds to reach full brilliance, which is barely noticeable in your day-to-day life.

7. Can you recycle energy saving bulbs?
Yes you can! Under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations, anywhere that sells energy saving light bulbs has to provide information on where they can be recycled. Many of the larger retailers will even take them away for you.

8. Aren’t energy saving light bulbs a danger to your health? I’ve heard they can cause migraines?
Some people have concerns that energy saving bulbs pose a risk to human health. Some of the most common concerns are:
Migraines: Many migraine support groups have raised this issue as a concern, the Department of Health is funding research into the matter.
Epilepsy: Many people fear than energy saving bulbs can cause epilepsy. However, Epilepsy Action says: “Epilepsy Action is not aware of any evidence that low energy light bulbs can directly trigger epileptic seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy”
Skin concerns: The Health Protection Agency state that open (single envelope) CFLs should not be used where people are closer than 30 cm to 1 ft to the bare light bulb for over 1 hour a day. At these distances CFLs might emit Ultra Violet (UV) light at a level less than equivalent to being outside on a sunny summer’s day. As of September 2009 as a result of EU legislation, all energy saving light bulbs emit a safe amount of UV light so pose no cancer risk.

9. I have lots of dimmer switches in my home – can I use energy saving light bulbs? What about Bayonet and Cap fittings –I’m not sure I like those weird-looking ones?
Traditionally, energy saving light bulbs have not been available for dimmer switch lights and were exclusively available in the “weird” design. However, as a result of recent innovations, energy saving dimmer switch lights are starting to become more widely available. Why not search for them online?
Likewise, energy saving bulbs are now available in both Cap and bayonet fittings in a range of designs –including “lookalikes” which are exactly like traditional designs. The Energy Saving trust has a comprehensive guide to the different energy saving light bulbs on their website.

10. Is it more energy-efficient to keep energy saving lights on all the time, or should I turn them on and off as needed?
Turning a light on uses about the same amount of energy as keeping one on for two minutes –so it’ll be more efficient to turn them off as you leave the room if you know you’re not coming back for a short while.

So that’s it! The phasing out of incandescent light bulbs is a really positive step for you and the environment. With the economy going through such a tough time, who wants to spend their hard-earned cash on something as boring as keeping the lights on! Now you know all the facts, get some energy saving light bulbs for your home and treat yourself with the money you’ve saved.

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With this article I aim to shed some light on some of the common misconceptions regarding the use of solar roof panels as a viable means of residential energy production.

“Solar panels will take too long to pay for themselves”

Year after year we are seeing our energy bills going up by ever increasing percentages. The promise of cheaper fuel bills from nuclear power never came to fruition so the need to consider renewable energy sources such as solar power is now a viable alternative. In the current economic climate, investment in cheaper bills for the future is a sound financial idea as remaining reliant on non-renewable energy sources such as coal, gas and oil can only become more expensive as they become scarcer and therefore more expensive.

On average UK homes consume around 3000 units of electricity each year and typical solar energy panels will produce around 1500 units each year (estimated average under UK conditions) which is half of the average yearly consumption. It’s difficult to state exactly how long it would take for residential solar panels to pay for themselves as many variables are involved. These variables include the initial cost of each solar panel, the type of installation plus the cost of installing the system, the price your electricity supplier charges and whether or not your energy supplier will pay you for any extra units which are fed back in to the grid. It is also worth checking with your local council as many grants are available which could cover up to 50% of the cost of installing home solar panels. What we do know is that non-renewable energy prices will continue to rise. It is no longer a question of ‘can I afford solar panels?’ It’s more a question of ‘can I afford to not have solar panels?’

“Britain is not sunny enough”

This is a common false statement regarding the use of solar panels in the UK. Most people assume solar energy panels need direct sunlight in order to function. In actual fact they only require light from any source rather than direct sunlight as they absorb the electromagnetic radiation found in photons. This means that a solar roof panel will even work at night by absorbing photons from star light and street lighting; however, this happens on such a minimal scale you’d never notice. The output of each solar panel is considerably higher on sunnier days as strength of light (or the shear amount of photons) is a major factor, as is the angle the solar panel to the sun.

“Solar panels are useless during the short winter days”

Although there is some truth to this statement, residential solar panels are far from useless during the winter months. The daylight hours are significantly shorter meaning each solar panel will generate less power over the course of a full day. The truth of the matter is that hour for hour; each solar energy panel is on average equally as efficient as it would be throughout the summer. Prior to the installation of solar panels one should consider how much sun light will be hitting their solar panels during the winter months. Your roof may be in the shadow of nearby trees or a chimney stack may reduce the efficiency of the solar panels by leaving all or part of the solar panel in permanent shade whilst the sun is lower in the sky.

“If I don’t generate enough solar power, I’ll have no electricity”

This simply is not the case. Your home will still be connected to the national grid, so anytime you need more electricity than the solar panels are providing, you’ll get it as normal from the mains. It is unlikely that a household will be able to produce 100% of it’s electricity as a result of installing solar roof panels as we have become far to reliant on electrical appliances. Saying that, it has been proven in the past that once a household begins generating its own electricity using solar panels, its occupants become far more conscious of the way in which they use it and day by day will use far less electricity.

“It takes more energy to manufacture a solar panel than it will ever put out”

The energy payback of solar panels varies depending on which type of solar panel is fitted. Currently, the microcrystalline-silicon solar panels have an estimated energy payback of less than 4 years where as the ‘thin-film’ solar panels have an energy payback of around 3 years. Future developments in renewable solar energy coupled with increased production are expected to halve the energy payback time of both microcrystalline-silicon PV solar panels and thin-film solar panels.

“Modern solar panels are still not efficient”

Solar energy has come along leaps and bounds since the development in the production of the first practical solar cells in the 1950’s. These had a sunlight energy conversion efficiency of around 6%. By the late 1980’s scientists had developed solar cells with an efficiency of 17%. By 2000 solar cells had an efficiency of 24%, rising to 26% in 2002, 28% in 2005 and 30% by 2007. Increased efficiency coupled with lower production costs means residential solar energy systems are cheaper and more efficient than ever before.

You may ask yourself one question regarding the above figures, “If solar panels are getting more efficient and cheaper year after year, maybe I should wait a few more years?” Although there is some logic to this idea, the truth of the matter is waiting a few extra years could well prove to be a false economy. At the moment the British government are offering a variety of grants to financially assist those seeking to run a greener home, including the installation of domestic solar panels which could save you up to 50% of the installation costs. Government grants like this may not be available a few years down the line.

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CFL lights are the low energy light bulbs that can save you money by using less energy. In addition to saving you money they also have a longer lifespan than the traditional incandescent lamps you are used to buying. These bulbs are now quick to light up and generate almost instant output because they have electronic ballasts instead of the electromagnetic ballasts.

CFL lights radiate a different light spectrum than the traditional light bulbs do.They are similar in colour but the light emitted is a little different. The latest energy saver lights resemble in both appearance and output to standard GLS, candles, reflectors and even the GU10 spotlight.

The great thing about the CFL lights is that they last much longer than a standard light bulb. (Average life length of a low energy lamp is 8000hours). Due to the increased life length you won’t have to replace lamps as often thus reducing maintenance costs. This makes it convenient if you have a location that is hard to get to. Screwing off a bulb cover outside or on a ten foot ceiling can be a real pain. Using energy saver lamps makes it much more convenient not to have to worry about it as often. Now for the real saving to your running costs. 

Buildings can dramatically reduce their electricity consumption by using low energy light bulbs. This is because most buildings require a central heating and cooling system for heat and a lighting system for the light. The CFL low energy light bulbs can help a business reduce on the cooling costs because they do not generate the amount of heat like the traditional bulbs do. This reduces the load a cooling system takes when it is trying to cool an entire building. These benefits allow people to save on their cooling costs and reduce their electricity bills. If you are looking for a way to conserve and lower your electricity bill then you should consider replacing your incandescent light bulbs with the low energy light bulbs. By switching (pardon the pun) to energy saver CFL lights buildings will use much less energy for your lighting needs and they won’t put a strain on your air conditioner and magnify your running cost savings.

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