100 watt light bulbs banned

As from 1st September 2009 the manufacture and import of 100 watt and all frosted finished incandescent light bulbs will be banned in the EU as part of Europe's bid to cut energy costs. The 100 watt light bulbs will be replaced by the energy-saving fluorescent variety.

These are the compact fluorescent lamps commonly found in supermarkets. They use 80% less electricity than incandescent bulbs and last longer. The new rules will be extended to 75 watt bulbs from September 2010 and 60 watt bulbs from 2011.

Whilst the new bulbs will reduce electricity bills many people think they are ugly and some are unhappy with the whiter light they produce or have concerns about flickering. However, the Government say the new bulbs are "flicker free" as they no longer use the 50 Hz mains frequency and now operate 1,000 times faster. The Energy Savings Trust also commented that the new bulbs are "bright and clear" and say that most people can't tell the difference.

People and businesses who what to reduce their lighting electricity bill can install HeatingSave+ which will not only cut their heating costs and reduce energy consumption by typically 25% or more, but can also do something similar to lighting costs; whether you use incandescent bulbs or the new ones!

Using the same occupancy sensors that automatically lowers the heating when nobody is around, is also used to automatically switch off lights when rooms are unoccupied. The same equipment will switch on security lighting at dusk and more importantly switch off ALL external lights at daybreak.

HeatingSave is approved by the Engergy Saving Trust.