Over this last year, LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) have grown increasingly popular within the modern household. The newest lamps out in the lighting market now give the same quality and brightness of light as the old incandescent and halogen bulbs – they light up almost immediately, unlike many CFLs (Compact Fluorescents). Although the prices for LEDs are becoming less expensive to purchase, there are still certain high output models ranging around £25.

Electricity Use In The Home

Over the past number of years, the amount of electricity used for lighting homes has fell. CFLs have reduced average energy used to around 500 kWh a year rather than the usual 700 kWh with LEDs being lower again. People will be less likely to purchase a huge appliance such as a washing machine or fridge if it’s only going to save them £20 on electricity a year. However, with lights the payback is much shorter and it is simple to unscrew an old bulb out and replace with another.

The Cost

It’s hard to be 100% certain of cost, however if LEDs take the same trend that the CFLs had taken – price falls will come surprisingly fast and deep as sales volume starts to rise. The government could even start a scheme where they could negotiate low prices even for the high quality LED bulbs, by in return guaranteeing the manufacturers a high volume of sales

The Savings

Assuming that if a homeowner installed 10 LEDs, with the average light bulb switched on in a high traffic location for around 2 hr a day – the total yearly savings per household is about 150 kWh. In fact, it is likely to be more than that in certain households, as there are several that are running on GU10s. But to stick with this modest estimate, the financial benefit will be around £20 at today's electricity prices, and even more in a home on Economy 7 tariffs. The carbon saving will average a total of 2 million tonnes a year, or 2% of the UK total.