Over the past couple of years, energy prices have risen at their fastest rate, ever. As a result, many UK homeowners are struggling to pay their electric bills. Swapping suppliers can help to keep the costs down. But, what happens when you are already on the lowest tariff and the Kwh cost suddenly goes up by 10 or 11%. What can you do, in that situation, to make ends meet?
Well one thing you can definitely consider is switching from using incandescent or CFL light bulbs to using the LED type. Firms like LED Hut sell hundreds of different types. So, it is not hard to find and buy the perfect replacement bulbs for your home.
Reduce your lighting power bill by up to 90%
The fact that LEDs consume between 80 and 90% less power than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs do means that you can save a lot of money by switching to them. Even if you already use CFLs, which are more economical than incandescent lightbulbs, you can still save. LEDs consume up to 50% less power than CFLs do.
Plus, LED bulbs do not generate heat, which other types of bulbs do. This means that in the warmer months your fans and air-conditioning units do not have to work harder to counter that heat. This will also help you to keep your electric bill under control.
Other ways LEDs save you money
LED bulbs last far longer than other types of lightbulbs do. You need to check before buying, but, most LEDs are designed to last for 50,000 hours. If you were to leave one on every day for 12 hours it would take just over 11 years before you had to replace it. The fact that you do not need to buy anywhere near as many bulbs also means that you can save money.
This is the case, despite the fact that LED bulbs cost more to buy then CFLs and incandescent bulbs. Every year, the price of these bulbs falls, which means that consumers will be able to save even more money, in the future, when they choose to switch.
Gain better control of your lighting to save even more money
Smart LEDs are designed to provide you with a higher level of control. Provided you buy and fit the right type you can programme your lights to only come on when necessary. You can either set up a specific time for them to come on and go off again, or buy the type with sensors built in. Lights with built in movement sensors will only turn on when someone enters a room. For outside lighting, light sensitive sensors can be used to make sure that the lights only come on when it becomes dark enough. They will also turn the lights off again as soon as the sun rises. Reducing how long your lights are on, can significantly reduce your power bill.
More reasons to swap to LEDs
Using LEDs has the potential to bring other benefits. The fact that they use less power and do not need replacing as often makes them a very environmentally friendly option.