Lighting



Lighting accounts for up to 12% of home energy use and some lighting systems use far more energy than others.  Minimising the energy used by lighting in the home is definitely one of the easiest things we can do to reduce energy use at home.

  • Switch off lights when you leave the room
  • Use compact fluorescents globes (CFL’s) in your most frequently used light fittings.
  • Avoid using halogen downlights,
  • If renovating, get information on energy efficient lighting systems before engaging an electrician to do the work,
  • Open curtains and blinds during the day to maximise daylight through existing windows or even installing energy efficiency skylights,
  • Skylights should only be installed if they are double glazed to protect against winter heat loss and externally shaded to stop heat gain in summer. It is also good if they can be opened to assist with ventilation in summer.
  • Use a sensor light outside instead of leaving a light on outside when you go out.

Energy efficient Lighting

Installing energy efficient lighting is simple and can reduce the energy you use from lighting by 80%! Energy efficient lighting uses less wattage and has lower running cost than incandescent globes. They also last significantly longer saving you money and time in the long run.

What is an energy efficient globe?

An energy efficient globe is called a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). These are designed to fit into any light socket

and are small enough to fit into light shades and speciality fixtures. Make sure you choose the right compact fluorescent lamp for the right use as there is now a lot of choice. They come in a variety of wattages, shapes, sizes and light tones – warm/yellow to cool/white – in both bayonet and screw in fittings. If you prefer a warmer light, look on the packet for 2700K (Kelvin) or 3000K, and the cooler white light is 4000K – 5000K. You don’t have to go for the standard long shaped compact fluorescent, although these are fine in pendant lights or in covered lamps, as they are also available with a round, candle or regular incandescent shaded covering.

Tubular fluorescent lamps and LED’s are also two types of energy efficient light globes. Tubular fluorescent lamps are often used in kitchens and garages. They are very energy efficient and similar to the compact variety of fluorescent lamps have a long life time. LED’s (light emitting diode) are the most efficient type of lamps currently available; using around 1 watt of energy/hour.

Energy hungry lighting

We are all very familiar with the incandescent lamps. These have been the most commonly used types of lights. Although they are cheap to buy, they have high running costs and small life times, meaning they need replacing far more often. NB: Incandescent lamps are being phased out; by 2011 they will no longer be available in Australia.

What do I do if I have inefficient lights?

Replace incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps.


Downlights:

Low Voltage halogen lamps have become a popular addition to new homes and renovations. These lamps are ideal for highlighting features (i.e. a painting) and for task lighting but are not good at general illumination as you need to install many lamps to create an even light. It is not uncommon for an average sized open living space to have 20 downlights installed. Given that each globe uses around 55 watts and the transformer uses 10 watts, having 20 lamps would mean using 1300 watts of energy just for lighting! This is significantly more than say 3 fluorescents lamps at 15 watts each = 45 watts! Remember low voltage doesn’t mean low energy use.

Another disadvantage of downlights is the heat created by the transformer.  Not only is it an inefficient use of energy, it also poses a significant fire risk.  Large gaps in your ceiling insulation must therefore be left around the light fitting to prevent this fire risk.  These gaps have a significant impact on the performance of the insulation and hence increase energy used for heating and cooling. 

The solution: If your home already uses halogen downlights as the main lighting system:

  • Turn them off after dinner and use lamps fitted with CFL’s for reading or ambient light as you watch TV
  • Replace halogen globes with compact fluorescent downlights. Compact fluorescent downlights use 11 watts and do not require a transformer in the roof. Remember you will need an electrician to bypass the transformer!  Removing the transformer also removes the fire risk. You will most likely still need to leave some clearance between your recessed downlight fitting and any insulation installed in your ceiling but if you install CFLs the amount of clearance will probably be reduced. You will need to speak to your electrician or Energy Safe Victoria to determine the amount of clearance you will need to leave around your light fittings.
  • Replace 55 watt globes with 35 watt globes. 35 watt globes have the same light output but will reduce your energy use by light by 30%!

Recycling CFLs

In Moreland there are three places that you can recycle your CFL globes:

Moreland Civic Centre, 90 Bell Street, Coburg
Brunswick Citizens Service Centre, 233 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Glenroy Citizens Service Centre, 796N Pascoe Vale Road, Glenroy

Energy efficient lighting

Download the fact sheet

Created by the Moreland Energy Foundation.



CFL lightbulbs in plain english