Guide to energy efficient lighting
Under new EU Regulation ordinary, or incandescent, light bulbs will be phased out throughout Europe from 1st September 2009.
Why is it necessary to phase-out incandescent bulbs?
Lighting represents up to a fifth of a household's electricity consumption. Upgrading your light bulbs could reduce your household's total electricity consumption by up to 10-15% and easily save €50 a year, even taking into account the purchasing cost of new bulbs.
What will be phased out and when?
From September 1st, 2009:
- All frosted incandescent bulbs (except CFLs).
- All bulbs in energy classes F & G (the lowest energy rating).
- All clear glass bulbs 100 watts or over (except for those with an energy rating of ‘C’ or better).
All remaining lower wattage clear glass bulbs will be banned progressively between September 1st, 2009 and September 1st, 2012.
Choosing energy efficient bulbs
ESB has produced a guide to energy efficient lighting, which is currently being distributed to all homes. The guide outlines the benefits of energy efficient lighting and details which will be the best bulb to replace your current choice of lighting. For example, if you currently use a 150 watt bulb, the equivalent wattage in a CFL bulb is 23 watt. This will give you the same light as a standard 150 watt bulb.
NCBI is in discussions with ESB about making the guide available in Braille and audio.
The guide is currently available to download in PDF ESB Guide to Energy Efficient Lighting [PDF: 369KB] and large print [Word: 939.5KB].