These bulbs, which are made up of LEDs (light-emitting diodes), are about 10 times more efficient at converting electricity into light than the old-fashioned filament variety. This explains the difference in the wattage needed.
So, to replace a traditional 60W bulb you need just a 6W LED bulb.
Although they are considerably more expensive to buy than traditional light bulbs and other “low energy” types of bulb, such as those that work more like fluorescent lights, they consume so much less electricity that you will quickly recoup your outlay in lower bills.
CALCULATIONS
ORDINARY 60W BULB
For simplicity’s sake we’ve looked at a medium-size home containing 10 light fittings, each currently with an old-style 60W bulb. We’ve assumed that the owners are retired so the lights are on for an average of 10 hours a day.
The total power consumption of the 10 lights with old-style bulbs comes to 600W or 0.6kW.
Electricity is sold in units of kilowatt-hours (kWh) – the amount of energy that a 1kW device uses in an hour.
So each hour the 10 lights consume 0.6kWh.
Based on a typical unit price of Ugshs 600 per kWh, the 10 lights will cost Ugshs 360 per hour to run. The daily cost is therefore IS Ugshs 3600 if on for 10 hours.
This is equivalent to Ugshs 25,200 a week, Ugshs 100800 a month or Ugshs 1,209,600 a year.
5W LED BULB
If you replace all the bulbs with a 5W LED equivalent, the running costs will be just one tenth – or Ugshs 300 per day, Ugshs 2,100 a week, Ugshs 8,400 a month and Ugshs 100,800 a year.
The savings are therefore Ugshs 3,300 a day, Ugshs 23,100 a week, Ugshs 92,400 a month or Ugshs 1,108,800 a year.
What would 10 of these 6W LED bulbs cost you?
We found them Ugshs 80,000, although their cost is likely to fall as they become more popular. Replacing all 10 would therefore cost Ugshs 80,000, which would take less than five months to recoup. In the first year your net saving would be Ugshs 1,028,800
Better still, LED bulbs last a long time. Or, at least, they are supposed to.
They should have a minimum lifespan of 6,000 hours – which, at 10 hours a day, would mean your bulbs should last at least 18 months. But Which?, the consumer magazine, said some fell short of this standard in its recent tests.
However, some manufacturers say their LED bulbs should last 40,000 hours and not blow until you have switched them on and off 100,000 times.
You’d need a 12W conventional “low energy” bulb to provide the same amount of light as a traditional 60W bulb,
LED bulbs are available in all shapes and sizes, and produce a variety of shades of light, such as “daylight” and “warm white”.
So you can use them to replace traditional bulbs of the bayonet and screw-in types, as well as the more modern mini-bayonet sockets used for small halogen spotlights and inset ceiling lights or downlights.
They come on instantly; there is none of the slight delay or flickering that you sometimes get with older-style low-energy bulbs of the “compact fluorescent” type.
They also generate little or no heat, making them safer alternatives to hotter bulbs.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ahabwe Collins
0754374086/0784675825
ahacols@gmail.com
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