Daily Mail Tw@t$

After a long gluttonous and unfortunately carbon intensive Christmas break I am back, and what did I see before me in the Daily Mail this week. None other than a beautiful front cover on the banning on the conventional inefficient light bulb. The government must have done something right to ensure that a "voluntary ban" with the catchy headline "Robbed of their right to buy traditional light bulbs" could out strip column inches from seriously newsworthy stories, like bloodshed in Gaza.

The editors at the the Daily Mail really pushed the boat out to desperate bulb hoarders who had been frantically searching stores for the bulbs to no avail with a 25 000 bulb giveaway, rationing this national supply to just five per reader.

But what is ridiculous is that people are hoarding bulbs in their hundreds or thousands, other than the potential ebayablity in the next few years, to other bulb hoarders wanting to boost their collection of bulbs into the tens of thousands this also shows the lack of real reasoning, that an average light bulb lasts 600hrs.

We have had a few comments on the actual price of the energy saving bulbs, which are "too expensive". I picked some energy saving bulbs up at Tesco for only 8p each, to be truthful, I picked up a few hundred, to give out to friends, family and whoever else wanted them. Not to mention the fact that they last 10 to 12 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Look and you shall find them for cheap or free. Plus you won't have to run to the shops in your car as often to buy them, saving time and fuel, and of course risking life to change the one on the landing.

People are concerned that they require more resources than conventional bulbs, and that must be more carbon intensive. However, a carbon footprint analysis by the Carbon Trust for Tesco own brand CFL bulbs showed that per hour of usage, the energy saving bulb was less carbon intensive in it's production.

Medical charities say they can trigger epileptic fits, migraines and skin rashes. To which I don't doubt that this is an extremely small minority, or as we all went to Tesco to pick up incandescent bulbs we would simply fall to the ground in a fit and burst out into a rash, not to mention the inability to function in life at all, as almost all publicly accessible buildings have CFLs.

BOGOF Energy Saving Bulbs

Tesco currently have a BOGOF promo on energy saving bulbs, from £1.37 a bulb (now you get two). If you haven't already installed them, now is your chance to replace all the bulbs in your home for under £15. With the rising cost of energy this year, this could be one step to ensuring your bills this winter are as low as they can go.

Related Articles
Bulb Ban = Bulb Hoarders
LED Night Lights
Voluntary Bulb Ban Initiated
The CFL Mercury Myths
Mercury in CFLs in Context

Bulb Ban = Bulb Hoarders

It may seem irrational to us all that in times when energy costs are going up, some individuals would be wanting to keep their incandescents, but in the run up to the voluntary January 2009 bulb ban (which will see 150W and 100W bulbs removed from all major retailers with all incandescents removed by 2011).

There are good reasons why a ban on incandescents are a good thing, both environmentally and politically. Lighting accounts for anywhere from 8 - 19% of our total energy use, and it is expected that the ban will reduce our energy consumption annually by 5.5%, or 9200GWh, in the process reducing CO2 emissions by 5m tonnes, the equivalent of the expected CO2 saving of the Severn barrage. This also begs the question, why build a £10 billion super structure when in reality all you have to do is ban a bulb, costing a few million pounds, with the same positive outcome. Obviously the barrage can still come along later to reduce emissions even further, provide clean energy and help the government meet renewable energy targets.

Reducing the amount of electricity used in real terms through measures like this also reduce the demand on energy, and the materials used to provide that energy, which also reduces the end cost to the consumer across all major fuel sources. By reducing the total energy used nationwide, you also have a higher output in percentage terms from your renewable energy sources, without having to install further capacity.

But why did the government choose not to go for an all out ban, like Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the US. This would have made it illegal to obtain the bulbs even from specialist retailers, however how could this be punished under law, it may make an interesting court case followed by the media, and the crime, threatening national energy security .. maybe. But by default with so many countries implementing a ban, manufactures stop production, importation of bulbs in quantity from Asia regions grind to a halt, introducing new smaller supply changes, thus increasing the cost of bulbs, it is likely however to increase the price of the standard bulb dramatically. Already both the 150W and 100W bulbs are a hard to find item at your local supermarket as supplies dry up.

Hence why some people have turned to stockpiling incandescent bulbs, concerns seem to be more aesthetic than safety-conscious.

"It's a bad idea. They're not only bad for the climate but mean a bigger electricity bill. Incandescent light bulbs were invented in the 1880s and use 80% more electricity than energy saving ones. The time has come to move into the 21st Century."
Ben Stewart, Greenpeace

On 16 & 17 April 2008, the Energy Saving Trust carried out a lightbulb ‘Pepsi’ challenge at Bluewater Shopping Centre to see if the public could tell the difference between traditional and Energy Saving Recommended lightbulbs.

For the experiment two identical booths were specially built each with a lounge – one lit with a traditional light bulb and one lit with an energy saving one.



Members of the public were then asked to enter each of the booths for ten seconds and say whether they could tell which one contained the energy saving lightbulb, and which one they preferred.

Out of 761 shoppers, 53 per cent either got it wrong or could not spot the difference, despite 70 per cent of shoppers being confident that they would be able to spot the energy efficient lightbulb before they did the test. The shoppers were not told whether they had guessed right, but 64 per cent of people claimed to prefer the light produced by the energy efficient light bulb.

"I think the results are extremely encouraging and go to show just how much the quality of light from energy efficient lightbulbs has improved since they were first introduced. Not only that, but there are now a far wider range of energy efficient bulbs available, including dimmers. The days of bulky, ugly looking energy efficient bulbs, which gave poor light quality are long gone. Clearly, the public have had their own ‘lightbulb’ moment too, with sales of energy efficient lightbulbs jumping from 10 million in 2006 to 21 million in 2007."
Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive, Energy Saving Trust

Maybe the solution is bulb amnesties in the streets of Britain where you can get rid of your old 100W bulbs in exchange for a free energy saving bulb, that way the county would be rid of those high wattage bulbs, from of course the people willing to give them up.


Related Articles
Voluntary Bulb Ban Initiated
The CFL Mercury Myths
Mercury in CFLs in Context
LED Night Lights

LED Night Lights

Kids and adults alike often leave lights on at night, I know I have on many occasions left lights on when I shouldn't, even with CFL bulbs, they still use a tiny bit of energy. However an alternative to this problem is a Light Emitting Diode based night light. LED bulbs are the technology to supersede CFL bulbs, as they last over ten times longer and use as little as a twentieth of energy CFLs use, the only drawback is currently cost and fittings. However they are getting cheaper every single day.

On my visit to IKEA the other day I picked up two night lights, the first an Osram LED plug-in night light which at 0.4W, uses just over 4% of the energy required for a 9W CFL bulb, this is perfect for in the hallway to illuminate it at night. Only £3 with the IKEA Family Card.

The other is a child's portable nightlight called Spoka, design by Bodrul Khalique which makes use of rechargeable batteries and LEDs, priced at £8. You push the head to switch on the light, it's exceptionally red glow does provide reasonable light (if not "makes it look like a window in Amsterdam", my mother's comment, then asks can she have one) and of course you can carry it with you round the house. I have noticed that since using it oppose to normal lights has improved my sleeping pattern, dramatically. A cute alternative to a lamp.

And ... Don't forget just take your old IKEA electronics back to store to be recycled.


Related Articles
Support the Woodland Trust with the Swipe of a Card
The CFL Mercury Myths
Mercury in CFLs in Context

Belfast Telegraph in Energy Saving Bulbs Giveaway

Following suit with mainland newspapers, such as the Sun who carried a similar campaign, which saw newspaper sales increase by 408 000 copies, taking the daily circulation to almost 4m. The Sun turned half of its front page green for the promotion, which offered the eco-friendly lightbulbs to readers who bought the paper at more than 4,000 independent newsagents and stores including Tesco, Asda, WH Smith, Sainsbury's, Somerfield and Morrisons.

The Belfast Telegraph campaign runs in a similar way with many newspaper outlets giving a free bulb with the purchase of a paper today (Wednesday 16 April). The campaign hopes to give away enough bulbs to reduce Northern Ireland CO2 emissions by 500t per annum.

Adding her weight to the campaign the Minister for Social Development in Northern Ireland backed the campaign adding how she hopes to help further reduce energy consumption in the province, which has the highest CO2 emissions in the UK.

"The less we use today, the more will be available for future generations. From April, I will increase my Department's spending on fuel poverty by a further £0.5m bringing the Department's commitment to tackling fuel poverty to £35.4m. Alongside this, I will future-proof all new social houses against fuel poverty by ensuring that those built from this month will be required to meet standards that will mean that they will be 25% more energy efficient. My department will continue to examine the potential for extending innovation partnership arrangements with Northern Ireland Electricity and others to speed up the replacement of Economy 7 heating systems, targeting those with particular health needs and piloting renewable energy technologies as a means of tackling rural fuel poverty."
Margaret Richie, Social Development Minister

Mercury in CFLs in Context

CFLs have once again received a battering in the press this week with the BBC headlining three articles over three days over claims of their impact on their health.

The three articles were;

Low-energy bulbs 'cause migraine'
Low-energy bulbs 'worsen rashes', and today;
Low-energy bulb disposal warning

As I watched rolling news this morning on BBC Breakfast at 6am, they offered a three minute report, which whilst balanced (and needed to be entered into the public domain) bordered on alarmist, played back every thirty minutes with discussions with Dr David Grey, a toxicoligist from the University of Nottingham, and Louise Molloy of Greenpeace, on two seperate hours in the morning.

Having written an article on mercury in CFL bulbs, which is also available on the BBC Action Network, I was more than aware of the fact mercury was contained within, and not only that I have on several occasions called for adequate information regarding mercury content, recycling information and clear up information to be added to packaging and the dissemination of information of information to the public, which is seriously lacking, as 99% of us never read the packet anyway. People probably think I am getting sidelines from CFL manufactures to fight the mercury issue, however unfortunately I am not, I wish I was. CFLs are old technology, and if you can get you hands on LEDs at an affordable price, this makes a better choice over CFLs.

With Energy Star Canada citing the average CFL contains 3mg of mercury, placed in context with other household appliances CFLs are the least of our worries with the following containing mercury in far greater weights, some several hundred or times more than a CFL;

LCD Monitors
Thermometers
Thermostats
Mobile Phones, and
Dental Fillings

For a list of items in your home that could contain mercury the EPA has provided a short but not extensive list.

Whilst I am not saying mercury is safe, it is a deadly neurotoxin after all, I am trying to put your mind at rest that the amount contained in these bulbs is in relative terms only a small proportion of the mercury found in the home. CFL bulbs do not often break unless subjected to abuse, for example I have seen bulbs dropped from a reasonable height on to a solid surface, the bulb and its glass remained intact.

Even if the bulb was to break, one study looking at long tubular fluorescent bulbs found that over a two week period, only 17 to 40 percent of the mercury in the bulb evaporated. The rest remained stuck in the bulb. Roughly one-third of the mercury that evaporated did so in the first eight hours after the breakage; the rest seeped out slowly over the remainder of the study period.

Taking this into consideration that would result in 6% to 13% of the mercury being released in the first 8 hours, or 0.18mg to 0.39mg of mercury. Assuming your in a room with a volume of 25m3 (similar to a medium bedroom), this would average 0.0072mg/m3 to 0.0156mg/m3. This is equivalent to 7.2µg/m3 or 15.6µg/m3 over 8 hours. In comparison a single amalgam filling with an , average surface area of 0.4 cm2 has been estimated to release as much as 15µg mercury/day, primarily , through mechanical wear and evaporation, but also through dissolution into saliva (Lorscheider et al. 1995). For the average individual with eight occlusal , amalgam fillings, 120µg of mercury could be released daily into the mouth, and a portion of that , swallowed or inhaled (Lorscheider et al. 1995). Both Canada and WHO consider dental amalgam to be the single largest source of mercury exposure for the general public.

Something that may astound you is that the levels of mercury in a dentists surgery is up to 69µg/m3. Up to 9 times the mercury from breaking a bulb in your medium sized bedroom. Considering this you are likely to be subjecting yourself to more mercury sitting in the dentists than from breaking a CFL. Not that I am trying to put you off going to the dentist of course. There are mercury free dentists up and down the country.

As a light hearted way to end this I thought I would highlight the 102 year old ex-dentist that has emigrate to New Zealand, a story published on the same day as the Low Energy Bulbs Disposal Warning, by the BBC. Surely he should be as "Mad as a Hatter"!


If you do break a CFL bulb then follow this advice;

1. Do not allow children or pregnant women to enter the affected area
2. Open windows and allow air to circulate to the affected area
3. First sweep up all of the glass fragments and phosphor powder (do not vacuum)
4. Then place in a plastic bag
5. Wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pick up stray shards of glass or fine particles
6. Place the used towel in the plastic bag as well, and seal
7. For proper disposal of a broken CFL bulb, contact your local authority for a community household hazardous waste collection

For more information and discussion on CFLs, how to recycle, and the mercury within visit the CFL Mercury Myths

Voluntary Bulb Ban Initiated

The highest wattage incandescent bulbs will no longer be available on the shelves of some high street stores across the UK from early next year as part of an effort to reduce energy use and 5m tonnes of CO2 emissions (0.9% of UK CO2 emissions).

The voluntary initiative is being backed by leading retailers, (ASDA, B&Q, The Co-operative Group, Home Retail Group (Argos and Homebase), IKEA, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Somerfield, Tesco, Waitrose, Wickes, Woolworths, British Retail Consortium, Association of Convenience Stores and the British Hardware Federation) and energy suppliers as part of their activities through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT).

“Retailers are committed to reducing their carbon footprint and play an active role in helping consumers reduce their own environmental impact. This is just the latest in a number of initiatives in which retailers are helping to shape consumer habits through the promotion of energy saving products. We look forward to working closely with Government and manufacturers in the lead up to the 2011 deadline to ensure the supply of energy saving light bulbs matches demand, and that they become a viable alternative to conventional light bulbs for consumers of all incomes”
Kevin Hawkins, Director General, British Retail Consortium

“We fully support the idea of phasing out inefficient lighting in favour of energy efficient light-bulbs. In most homes, lighting accounts for 10 – 15% of the electricity bill and UK households currently use £1.8 billion worth of electricity every year on lighting. An energy saving light bulb can last up to 10 times longer than a non-efficient version. Just one energy saving bulb could save up to £7 a year, fit all the lights in your house with energy saving bulbs and you could save around £600 over the lifetime of the bulbs. If everyone in the UK installed three energy saving light bulbs, we would save enough energy to power all the UK’s street lighting for a year.”
Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive, Energy Saving Trust

The government has proposed, as an illustrative schedule for the phase out of inefficient lamps, that retailers are suggested to follow:

• By January 2008, cease replacing stock of all inefficient (General Lighting Service, GLS) A-shaped incandescent lamps of energy rating higher than 100W (predominantly 150W lamps).
• By January 2009, cease selling all inefficient GLS A-shaped lamps of energy rating higher than 60W (predominantly 150W lamps, 100W lamps, plus some 75W lamps)
• By January 2010, cease selling all GLS A-shaped lamps of efficacy of energy rating higher than 40W (predominantly 60W lamps)
• By 31 December 2011, cease selling all remaining inefficient GLS A-shaped lamps and 60W "candle" and "golfball" lamps. (predominantly 40W and 25W A-shaped GLS bulbs, and 60W candles and golfballs).

Each house in the UK currently has on average 23.5 light bulbs. Lighting accounts for 19% of electricity use worldwide, and using the most efficient lighting, such as CFLs or LED lighting can reduce electricity use through lighting by up to 90%, potentially saving £120 a year per household.

“Britain is leading the way in getting rid of energy-guzzling light bulbs and helping consumers reduce their carbon footprint. Choosing energy saving light bulbs can help tackle climate change, and also cut household bills, with each bulb saving up to £60 over its lifetime. I am delighted that major companies have said they are prepared to help deliver this ambitious timetable and offer products which will help their own customers play their part in combating climate change. But there are many more energy hungry gadgets on sale in shops that waste too much energy. That’s why I want to see today’s initiative widened. I want to see more retailers, manufacturers and service providers taking action to phase out the least efficient products from their ranges, for example, certain set top boxes and TVs, and so help offer greener choices to their customers.”
Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Environment

This voluntary initiative will be an effective curb on carbon emissions from the home for the near future, and could potentially lead to an annual reduction of CO2 emissions of 5m tonnes (0.9% of UK CO2 emissions), equivalent to taking 1.8m cars off the roads. The benefits of this will be felt by all parties, with the negative impact being felt only by those who oppose energy efficient bulbs for whatever ideology (Matt Wright explains the most common excuses). There is one important factor to consider for the future and that is the disposal of the bulbs as they contain mercury. They are now covered under WEEE, but educating the public of the need to recycle could be a greater task than having previously asked them to buy energy saving bulbs in the first place.

The benefits far outweigh the potential negatives and could not only reduce emissions but improve the quality of life through reduced air pollution, government from the reduced adverse social impacts of power stations will also benefit financially. Energy companies and government will also be able to effectively increase renewable energy rates in percentage points in a short period of time, and as more renewable energy farms are built they will provide a greater proportion of total national usage than they would have previously. It's only a shame they didn't phase it in faster. Goodbye Bulb!

The CFL Mercury Myths

In recent weeks the CFL has been receiving negative press, most of which is unfortunately generated because lack of knowledge surrounding the disposal of a CFL bulb. Most of these stories relate to individuals who have received incorrect information from hardware stores, supermarkets and even public health officials. One such story is from the Canada Post.

The real truth is yes CFL bulbs do contain mercury, this is an essential element of the bulb and without this it would not operate. Whilst the amount of mercury used in production a CFL lamp is at most 6mg, the average mercury content is 4mg.

Taking the above totals into consideration, mercury emissions by a CFL lamp from electricity consumption over its lifetime is about 2.4mg of mercury. Emissions from an incandescent light bulb is about 10mg for the same period through electricity consumption. Therefore a CFL bulb emits 76% less mercury over the same time period. However, mercury stored in CFL bulbs is perfectly safe unless the glass is in someway damaged, in which case the bulbs can then emit mercury vapour. If the mercury from a CFL was to escape it would total 6.4mg, a 36% reduction on emissions from an incandescent.


One study looking at long tubular fluorescent bulbs found that over a two week period, only 17 to 40 percent of the mercury in the bulb evaporated. The rest remained stuck in the bulb. Roughly one-third of the mercury that evaporated did so in the first eight hours after the breakage; the rest seeped out slowly over the remainder of the study period.


The mercury in a CFL can however be reclaimed and reused through the process of recycling. Collected bulbs are crushed in a machine that uses negative pressure ventilation and a mercury absorbing filter. Therefore if you use a CFL with renewable energy and recycle it, the mercury emmission level is actually negated completely.

Mercury emissions from power plants get into rain clouds and come down in lakes and rivers, poisoning fish and the people who eat them, which has been the contributing factor the recent new recommendations from Health Canada for fish consumption. Coal-fired power plants in the US are the largest source of mercury emissions, spewing 50 tons a year into the air, about 40 percent of the total US mercury emissions. By installing CFL bulbs, you should reduce you mercury emissions from electricity by 14%. If the USA as a nation completely installed CFLs, this should lead to a 7 tonne reduction of mercury emissions per year. Each CFL should last 5 years on average. So that would equate to 35 tonnes of mercury emissions avoided, it would take 8.75 billion CFLs being disposed to landfill to equal the US mercury savings over the same time frame or 30 per US citizen, an almost impossible feat to achieve even with serious neglect.

In the European Union, CFL lamps are one of many products subject to the WEEE recycling scheme. The retail price includes an amount to pay for recycling, and manufacturers and importers have an obligation to collect and recycle CFL lamps. You should contact your local authority for information on how to recycle bulbs in your area.

If you need to dispose of a CLF lamp in the UK, contact your local council environmental services department, you can find their details at Directgov.

If you need to dispose of a CFL bulb in the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency advise you to visit Earth911.org. If details for your area are unavailable please contact your local authority for more information.

If you live near an IKEA store, why not give them a call they offer CFL recycling bins in stores across the world. In their fiscal 2006 year, IKEA recycled 156,301 pounds of CFLs. Notably, the IKEA CFL recycling program was recently singled out for recognition at a March 20th press conference held by Connecticut State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. Blumenthal is trying to persuade other big chain stores to do the same.


If you should break a CFL, please clean up with care following these steps;

1. Do not allow children or pregnant women to enter the affected area
2. Open windows and allow air to circulate to the affected area
3. First sweep up all of the glass fragments and phosphor powder (do not vacuum)
4. Then place in a plastic bag
5. Wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pick up stray shards of glass or fine particles
6. Place the used towel in the plastic bag as well
7. For proper disposal of a broken CFL bulb, contact your local authority for a community household hazardous waste collection

"A CFL containing 5 mg of mercury breaks in your child’s bedroom that has a volume of about 25 m3 (which corresponds to a medium sized bedroom). The entire 5 mg of mercury vaporizes immediately (an unlikely occurrence), resulting in an airborne mercury concentration in this room of 0.2 mg/m3. This concentration will decrease with time, as air in the room leaves and is replaced by air from outside or from a different room. As a result, concentrations of mercury in the room will likely approach zero after about an hour or so. Under these relatively conservative assumptions, this level and duration of mercury exposure is not likely to be dangerous, as it is lower than the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard of 0.05 mg/m3 of metallic mercury vapor averaged over eight hours."
Professor Sue MacIntosh, Professor of Environmental Health, Harvard University

So don't be put off by purchasing CFLs because they are good for your pocket and the environment, just be slighty more cautious with handling and enjoy the benefits of a 14% reduction in energy costs.


Sources

Environmental Protection Agency
Energy Saving Trust
Wikipedia: CFLs
Health & Energy Company
Ministry of Energy, Canada

Video: Flight of the CFLs

A simple commercial promoting the use of CFLs from Lets Green This City.

For more information on CFLs view our other posts;

Benefits of CFLs
CFL Mercury Myths - Where to recycle and how to clean up a broken CFL
Video: How is a CFL is Made?

Video: How is a CFL Bulb Made?

If you are able to see through the 1970's intro, and 80's style company promotional video this is actually a pretty interesting video. Megaman are a CFL lightbulb manufacturer in Xiamen, China producing for the export market. This video basically shows the process of making a CFL bulb.

150 000 Hot Air Balloons filled with ...

... Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

The amount of Carbon Dioxide sent into the environment by leaving lights on unnecessarily.
The equivalent to 770 000 tonnes of Co2 or £180m annually. Switch off lights when you leave the room

We all need to reduce our overall Co2 emissions by 80% to negate the effects of global warming. Energy Saving light bulbs can reduce your lighting energy consumption by up to 80%, or £12 per year (based on daily use of 4hrs per bulb). Not only will you be saving the world, saving a bucket load of cash, you will be saving the effort of having to climb a rickety step-ladder risking your life to change a bulb twice a year as your average energy saving bulb should last you a whopping 6000 hours (about 5 years for domestic use). Then you wont have to go to tesco (or any other supermarket) to buy a bulb when it blows ten times more often saving you;

petrol, your own and the transportation of the bulbs to the store,
time, which is highly precious and expensive to us, especially businesses,
money, on ten times the rate of a normal bulb, overall you should save £100 over the lifetime of the bulb and;
energy, on the production of the actual bulb, saving 10 normal bulbs being produced

"Nineteen percent of global electricity generation is taken for lighting"
Paul Waide, Senior Policy Analyst, International Energy Agency (IEA)

So how do energy saving bulb work? Traditional bulbs waste energy through heat rather than light. Energy saving bulbs work like fluorescent lights, a current passes through gas in the tube, making its coating glow brightly. This in reality means that they use less energy and are cool to the touch.

Where before they were expensive and only came in limited styles, they now are available for as low as 83p at tesco, in both screw cap and "twist and lock" (bayonet) and in a variety of shapes and sizes. And if the financial gain of £100 in savings per bulb was not enough for an outlay of 83p you will also prevent 38kg of Co2 from being emitted into the environment.

Due to the rise in the concern about mercury content in CFL bulbs I have added an article called CFL Mercury Myths

Where to Buy ...

• Tesco (from £0.83 to £2.98, plus clubcard points ... double points for a limited time)
• Energy Saving Trust (available online for £4.99 for 4 inc P&P)
• If you know of other suitable retailers of energy saving bulbs please add in the comments section

No where more is energy saving more applicable than in businesses, I was in a restaurant recently with 36 standard light bulbs, after further inquiries, these bulbs are in use 12 hours per day, every day of the year. Taking this into account that would equate to a saving of £1200 per year in electricity costs alone. Considering the average lifetime of a standard bulb, there would be a total of 250 bulb changes per year. The cost in man hours to change bulbs and the risk posed by working at heights is reduced.