Week 1 - Lighting: My attempt

I did say that there would be some things that people had done already. Looking around my flat, all the normal bulbs are already energy saving - I got free bulbs when I changed my electricity supplier.

Energy savers are generally expensive creatures, don't always give off enough light and break too easily for what they cost. So, rather than just changing all the light bulbs for energy saving ones I thought that I'd look into it a little further and see if there weren't some that were less pricey, some that gave off more light and some that fit all those fiddly lights in the kitchen and bathroom.

In my flat I have 6 lights that take normal bulbs, bayonets or screws. It turns out that the only tricky ones are the three in the kitchen. They go out frequently and so are a fine candidate for energy saving light bulbs. It is advised that to get the most benefit from using energy saving bulbs then you should put them in areas where there is high usage, such as a hallway or kitchen.

I rather failed on finding bulbs that were less pricey. They are just more expensive than normal bulbs. That said, they're not quite as fragile and they do last hundreds of times longer. In the long run I'll be saving money. I will try to bear this in mind when paying £5 plus for a light bulb, rather than 95p. Also, considering how often the bulbs I have in the kitchen blow, it will be worth finding some that last loads longer. Especially if it saves me a trip in the car to Homebase.

I was worried that using the energy savers the light wouldn't be as powerful but nowadays there are also a number of bulbs that give off light equivalent to 100w bulb for only 20w. Of course, I could compromise and live in a slightly darkened room. I'd feel virtuous but I may go blind with the eye strain.

So, given that all the other bulbs in my house are already energy savers, I tracked down the little kitchen bulbs at Lightbulbs Direct. Unfortunately I'm going to have to leave the comfort of my sofa to get these lightbulbs because it's not entirely clear to me which type I have. I'm not going to spend £10 a lightbulb and get it wrong! Damn, that car trip to a big DIY shop beckons.

Click here for links to some other suppliers.

Click here for further information.