Fitting LED bulbs throughout your home is a great way to save money and help the environment.

Lighting can make up a considerable proportion of your electricity use at home, especially during winter months and in rooms where you keep lights on for several hours, like your kitchen and living room.

You should replace the old incandescent bulbs, halogen bulbs, and the curly low-energy lights known as compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs.

LED bulbs use a lot less energy, last a lot longer than other types of bulbs, and many are dimmable, too. They emit no UV or IR and are mercury free.

Get free LED bulbs

CAfS can provide and fit LED bulbs free of charge, as part of our home-energy advice visits.

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Common types of LED bulb

Classic-shaped bulbs

LED bulbs are the best choice for the traditional round bulbs – either in a bayonet fitting or screw fitting.

Spotlights

LED bulbs are great for spotlights. There’s lots of choice, including bright bulbs that match or exceed the light levels of halogen bulbs. We recommend the GU10 spotlights. They’re the ones that go in with a push and twist and are 240V.

There’s not quite as much saving for MR16, but still worth doing. They have 2 pins that just push in, no twist, and they have a ‘driver’ that reduces the voltage to 12V. With MR16 the LED bulbs do not offer the same output-for-wattage rating. The driver might also have to be replaced by an electrician.

Candle bulbs

Lots of choice here, too. Newer, brighter bulbs have become available at affordable prices. We have seen light levels match that of halogen. When recently trialling three of the Philips 6W Master LED Candle in a three-bulb candelabra, we found the light levels very bright.

Other fittings

Many other types of LED fittings can be found, too. You should find an LED equivalent for most bulbs around the house.

Things to consider when buying LED bulbs

  • Colour: Check the colour of the bulbs, as some cheaper LEDs give out a very harsh cold colour rather than the warm glow you might be used to with halogen bulbs. Look for LEDs described as ‘very warm white’ or referred to as 2700K. This is the colour temperature and matches the halogen colour best.
  • Beam angle: This varies considerably and depends on your room circumstances. A beam angle of 40 degrees is similar to a halogen GU10.
  • Bulb dimensions: Some are identical to the dimension of your older bulbs, but some are larger so do check they’ll fit the light fitting you’re using them in.
  • Lifespan: Bulb lifespans are given in hours, not years. A bulb with a lifespan of 40,000 hours, for example, should last you for 27 years if you use it for four hours a day.
  • Fitting type: You’ll need to choose the right bulbs for each lamp or light fixture. Common ones are GU10, MR16, SES, ES and bayonet.
  • Adapters: You can buy adaptors to use GU10 bulbs in other fittings, such as ES or SES.
  • Dimmer compatible: Plenty of LEDs are compatible with dimmer switches, but check with an electrician if your dimmer switch is compatible. It might need to be upgraded to an LED dimmer switch.
  • Lamp type: Take care in an enclosed light fitting, as LED bulbs need to cool effectively.

Where to check

There are lots of bulbs to check around the home:

  • Overhead lights
  • Lamps
  • Cooker hood
  • Display cabinet

Savings

LED bulbs use less electricity, so they will reduce your bill. LED bulbs have come down in price significantly in recent years, so it shouldn’t cost too much to replace the bulbs around your home. The money you’ll save on electricity could cover the cost of the bulbs within a year or so for the average home, depending on how long they are on for. There’s no point waiting until old bulbs fail. We recommend you swap them now.

One family's experience

One family’s experience One household that we helped recently could save about £250 a year by swapping out 18 old tungsten and halogen bulbs. Over ten years, that’s a projected saving of £2500. And that’s not taking into account increases in the price of electricity. Plus, of course, there’s the carbon savings, too. The family said they found the bulbs were wonderfully bright.