Northland Residents can save more on power bills

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Northland residents are being encouraged to replace more of their standard light bulbs with energy efficient light bulbs following new research revealing Kiwi homes typically only have energy efficiency light bulbs in a quarter of their fittings – and one in ten have no energy efficient light bulbs at all.

Residents are still missing out on savings if the majority of their bulbs are traditional incandescents, says the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

“As lighting is usually around 12 percent of the household electricity bill, this is somewhere people can really save,” says EECA Lighting Programme Manager Bill Brander.

“If you’ve only got traditional incandescents in your home, you’re probably spending 400 percent more on lighting than you need to.”

“The end of daylight saving time signifies  longer nights and more time spent at home, so lighting use goes up – typically doubling from summer to winter. Running at less than a quarter of the cost of standard light bulbs, energy efficient lighting represents a simple way to save money.”

Replacing five high-use 100W traditional incandescents with energy efficient lighting can mean savings of $100 a year says Mr Brander.

Recently introduced standards mean that all CFLs must meet performance requirements, so consumers can be assured of the energy efficiency, light quality and durability of products they buy. The top performing bulbs are Energy Star qualified.

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