In light of the energy bill increases coming up later this year, here are some lighting tips for saving both energy and money.
On one hand, the use of LED lamps drastically reduces the amount of energy one uses at home.
On the other hand, there are quite a few things one can do in order to save energy and money, thus reducing the energy bills considerably.
Why are the Energy Bills Going up in 2022?
By now, everyone knows that, due to a multitude of reasons both nationally and internationally, energy prices are rising, and there's a further rise in energy bills expected later this year.
Ofgem put out a press release saying that the price cap will increase by £693 from April, and most homeowners and renters are quite worried about the upcoming winter.
The energy crisis is an ongoing shortage of energy across the world, both in the UK and in Europe, and it affects our country very much.
Here are the main reasons the energy bills are going up in 2022:
- The energy crisis: as countries began to recover from the pandemic, demand for gas started to increase and, unfortunately, it could not be met due to a shortage in supply - thus the gas price increased in 2021. This problem was made worse by the renewable sources (wind and solar) which produce less power, and by the cold weather during winter months which forces people to turn their heating up.
- Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatened supplies and drove up the prices even further since Russia is one of the world's largest producers of oil and gas.
- Energy companies went bust: some of the energy suppliers in the UK went out of business due to the increase in gas prices. British consumers who had to move from failed energy suppliers are paying more per month because so many energy providers went out of business.
The "energy price cap" was introduced in January 2019 by Ofgem because of concerns that many people were paying too much for their energy.
Ofgem caps the maximum amount energy suppliers can charge for their energy.
This energy cap can is reviewed twice a year, but recently Ofgem decided to review it every three months so that the market may be stabilised.
The change, Ofgem says, allows energy companies to adjust bills more quickly in response to the prices they are charged by wholesale suppliers.
The record increase in global gas prices - up to 54% - caused not only worries among homeowners but also an increase in energy bills.
6 Lighting Tips for Saving Energy and Money
As we are approaching the last half of the year and the long winter nights are coming, especially with the increase in the energy bills, we need to be aware of some things we can do to reduce these bills.
There are some simple lighting tips - tips which relate to reducing energy and money spent on lighting - that help us save energy and money.
- Switch off the lights when you're not using them or you leave the room. This is the simplest tip but the one most easy to forget. If you leave the room, make sure you turn off the light or the lights; don't think that you'll be back in a few minutes - simply switch it off. And make sure you switch off ALL the lights, both the ceiling lights, the wall lights, and the floor lamps or table lamps. It is estimated that you can save as much as £20-40 per year just by switching off the lights.
- Switch to LED lamps everywhere. You may be surprised to find out that some of your wall lamps, ceiling lights, or table lamps may still use a halogen lamp or an incandescent lamp. We have been advising all our customers to switch to LED wherever possible; now this advice is a must! Even the picture lights which use a special lamp can be switched to LED lamps to reduce energy consumption and save on energy bills.
- Reduce the number of light fittings that are ON. If you have the ceiling light on, you may not need the table lamp on also; similarly, if you have the table lamp on, why leave the ceiling light on? Though you may use LED lamps in all your light fittings, the energy consumption of these light fittings add up, so it is advisable to reduce the number of light fittings you use.
- Install a time delay switch for light fittings in the hallway or corridor. A time delay switch allows the light to be on for a set amount of time, after which the light is turned off automatically. This is for corporate areas such as staircases, hallways, etc. A time lag switch can help you save energy and money, thus reducing your energy bills.
- Use PIR sensors or Timers for outdoor lights. We advise purchasing outdoor lights with PIR (presence detector) and/or using timers for the outdoor light fittings. It is quite a waste of energy and money to leave the front door light on the whole night, no matter how energy-saving the light bulb may be. Why not install a PIR wall lamp or a PIR flood light as security lights outdoor? These will turn on only when presence is detected, and they will be off the rest of the time, thus saving energy and money.
- Consider using transparent shades and clean the shades. Table lamps and pendant lights offer nice, diffused light, and we love the ambience they create. However, if the shade is quite dark, there needs to be a higher wattage lamp being used, which costs more. Why not switch to a more transparent shade to save more energy and money off your bills? And don't forget to clean your lamp shads regularly so that light may shine bright and not be blocked by dust and other impurities.
Conclusion and References
There are many more specific tips on reducing the lighting bill at home, and there is a long list of tips on reducing energy at the office or in commercial environments.
However, the above six tips are the simplest tips for reducing the lighting bill, and we all can do them without investing too much.
At Sparks, we offer a wide range of LED lamps and LED lights to help you reduce energy consumption.
To see them for yourself, visit us either online or at our lighting showroom in North London.
Further references on the energy crisis and reducing your lighting bill:
- BBC article on the energy crisis: what is the energy price cap, how might the bills go up, the energy price cap forecast, using smart meters, the fuel bill breakdown, and how this affects us; also, how to get help with the bills.
- Tips on saving energy and lighting - reducing the lighting bills.
- Ofgem press release: Price cap to increase by £693 from April.
- Energy Saving Trust article on, Why are energy bills going up?
- Factcheck: why are the energy bills going up? (via channel 4)
- Bright ideas to save energy and money (via energy label).
