Lighting
Lighting makes up around 12% of a typical household electricity bill - that's about $220 per household per year. [1] Only 5% of the electricity used in a traditional incandescent light bulb produces light - the other 95% produces heat. Simply changing your light bulbs to more energy efficient ones can reduce your electricity bill.
More choice than ever before
When it comes to efficient lighting, there are lots of options to choose from. You can have modern, stylish lighting that uses less electricity, lasts longer and is well suited to your needs. These benefits more than outweigh the additional up-front costs of efficient bulbs. For example, replacing your four most-used bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) can save around $60 per year.
As technologies advance, more and more efficient lighting options are coming onto the market and prices are slowly dropping.
More information:
- Visit the Rightlight website for comprehensive information about lighting
- Your lighting requirements
- Types of efficient lighting
- Latest efficient lighting report on the Consumer NZ website
- The safe use and disposal of household lamps [Ministry for the Environment website]
- Light Years Ahead - efficient lighting guide
Notes:
[1] Isaacs, N,P (ed). 2006. Energy Use in New Zealand Households: Report on Year 10 of the Household Energy End-Use Project. Wellington: BRANZ.
