Welcome to the FAQ section of our website. Lighting is our speciality and we are passionate about our environment and saving energy. It can be exhausting deciding what bulb replacement is the best, or what lighting will help our planet, so we have devised some simple product information to help you out. Using as many ECO friendly products as possible in your home can not only save you money on your electricity bill, but you can also do your bit for the planet. Electricity is very expensive in today's climate and money is not as plentiful as it once was. Therefore, or ECO friendly light bulbs can help cut the cost of your electricity usage by up to 30%-80% (according to energy saving information) and help you make huge savings on your electricity bill. As all our environmentally friendly light bulbs are also so efficient they also save you lots of money on replacements as they have a much longer lifespan than a regular incandescent light bulb. We only have one planet and the damage that has already been caused to the ozone has to be rectified the best way we can. Here at the European Lighting Company we believe we all have a duty to ourselves to do our best to protect it and prevent further damage as best we can.

 

Halogen

 

What is Halogen Lighting?

 

A halogen lamp is an incandescent lamp that contains a gas and also uses a tungsten filament, but it is encased inside a much smaller quartz envelope. Because the envelope is so close to the filament, it would melt if it were made from glass. The gas inside the envelope is also different from a regular light bulb as it consists of a gas from the halogen group. These gases have a special property as they combine with tungsten vapour. If the temperature is high enough, the halogen gas will combine with tungsten as they evaporate and redeposit them on the filament. This recycling process lets the filament last a lot longer. In addition, it is now possible to run the filament hotter, meaning you get more light per unit of energy.

 

How does Halogen Lighting save energy?

Halogen lighting saves you energy because they are more efficient in their job. For example, Halogen bulbs do not contain mercury and can last 2000-4000 hours, while a regular light bulb only lasts 750-1500 hours. They use less energy than a regular light bulb because Halogen has the capacity to produce more lumens per watt. A regular light bulb produces 12 -18 lumens per watt, whereas a Halogen light bulb can produce 16-29 lumens per watt. This is because the halogen gas in the light bulb brings it to a higher temperature so the light produced is brighter. You can then reduce your wattage output with a lower watt Halogen bulb and still have the lights as bright as they were with a regular light bulb. As we know, a lower watt uses less electricity which helps save energy.

 

Is Halogen lighting better for the environment?

Definitely. Because the bulb last longer that means there are less bulbs going to landfills, fewer bulbs being produced so therefore less energy used in production. Halogen bulbs can also be used with dimmer switches which mean you are using less electricity as the wattage output is less when the light is turned down low. You can also use a lower watt Halogen bulb and still have good lighting, which means you are using less electricity per bulb, and helping the environment.

 

Will I save on my electricity bill with Halogen lighting?

Yes. Not only will you save money on your electricity bill a year, but as the bulbs last for so many more hours than a regular light bulb you will also save money on replacements. Many studies have been carried out in regards to Halogen lighting. The average house has around 10 light bulbs and uses on average a 100 watt bulb in a light. By using Halogen, you can drop to a 75watt bulb and still have the same amount of light. This will save you 25% on your lighting bill a year. Then if we look at the lifespan of a Halogen bulb, they last nearly 3 times longer than a regular light bulb, so you save money on replacements. You will also have thrown away 30 less light bulbs than normal in a year which is less waste in the landfill.

 

Are Halogen bulbs more expensive than regular light bulbs?

The initial payout on a Halogen light bulb is slightly more than simply buying a regular light bulb, but once you have made the transition to Halogen lighting you will soon recuperate your initial outlay as you will use less light bulbs a year and save around 25% on your electricity bill

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What colour Halogen bulbs can I buy?

Halogen bulbs come in a variety of different colours, models and sizes. To see what coloured lights we have stock please use the search facility on our home page.

What can I use Halogen lighting for?

Halogen lamps can be used anywhere in the home or office. However, due to the intense light they can omit, halogen lighting can also be used for reading lamps, decorator lighting, spotlights for theatres or stages, security lighting and photography lighting.

 

CFL (Compact fluorescent Lamps)

 

What is CFL?

 

CFL stands for compact fluorescent lamps and are a smaller version of standard fluorescent lamps.

They consume much less energy than regular light bulbs, but offer the same amount of light. They can also normally be used as a direct replacement of standard light bulbs. They work differently than standard light bulbs as they create light by heating a filament inside the bulb and this heat produces the light that you see. The bulb also contains a gas that produces invisible Ultra Violet Light. When the UV light hits the white coating inside the bulb, the coating changes into light.

 

How does CFL save energy?

Firstly, CFL does not use a vast amount of heat in order for them to produce light, so this means far less electricity is used to produce the light we see. A CFL provides 75-80% energy savings compared to regular light bulbs. By replacing your 100 Watt bulb with a 27 Watt CFL you will still get the same amount of light, but save 730,000 watts in energy over that bulbs lifetime.

 

Is CFL better for the environment?

 

Yes, without a doubt. Over it's lifetime, one CFL bulb prevents 1 ton of carbon monoxide from heating the atmosphere. That one bulb will also prevent 8-16 pounds of Sulphur Dioxide which produces Acid Rain. CFLs also reduce nitrogen oxide that leaks into the atmosphere and causes damage to the ozone layer. As with all ECO friendly light bulbs, they use less energy as they are more efficient. Below you can see what wattage you can replace your standard light bulb with should you chose to use a CFL bulb as a replacement.

 

Standard Bulb	CFL Bulb
40w	10w
60w	13w-15w
75w	20w
100w	26w-29w
150w	38w-42w
250w-300w	55W

 

As CFL bulbs are more efficient that means less are produced and less used bulbs end up in landfills.

 

Will I save on my electricity bill with CFL?

 

As you can use a low watt bulb and still get the same amount of lighting. You will use around 30% less electricity than with using your regular light bulbs. This in theory should reduce a section of your electricity by 30%. You will also save money on bulb replacements as CFL bulbs last on average 8-13 times longer than a standard light bulb and has an average life usage of around 4 years.

 

Are CFL bulbs more expensive than regular bulbs?

 

Yes, they are at first. Changing all your household bulbs to CFL bulbs will cost more than the price of a standard bulb, however long term your savings will be vast as your CFL bulb will not need replacing for a very long time and your savings on your electricity make the initial payout for new CFL bulbs very worthwhile.

 

What colour CFL bulbs can I buy?

 

CFL light bulbs are available in a range of different hues, Please use our search facility on our home page to see what CFL bulbs and emitting what hues we have in stock.

 

What can I use CFL for?

 

CFL bulbs are suitable for all household, office, school and business use.

 

LED

 

What is LED?

 

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. It is a semiconductor device that turns electricity into light. LEDs do not rely on heat or gas to produce light. Each diode inside the bulb is about ¼ of an inch in diameter and uses around ten milliamp´s to operate at about a tenth of a watt. LEDs are very small in size and it is possible to also group them together.

 

How does LED save energy?

 

Firstly, as the Led turns electricity directly into light they do not rely on an intense heat to make them work. This keeps the need for energy through heat lower than other types of light bulb. Also the bulbs are very advanced in technology and you only need a 7.5 watt LED bulb to obtain a 60 watt equivalent of lighting. LED lamps are so efficient that the newer designs can save up to 85% of energy use with each single LED bulb.

 

Is LED better for the environment?

 

LED lighting is the way of the future in terms of protecting the environment. They reduce CO omissions which are so damaging to the planet.. The average standard light bulb uses 525 kWh in a year and yet some LEDs only use 65 kWh in a year. Also, an LED lamp has a life span of up to 20 years. This means LED production is nowhere near as intense as production plants producing standard light bulbs which in turn saves vast amounts of energy. As the LEDs can last for so long an average household would help landfill waste by keeping 60 standard light bulbs away from the tip during the lifespan of one single LED bulb.

 

Will I save on my electricity bill with LED?

 

Yes, you will save around 30% on your lighting usage in your home. It is estimated that around 10% of your electricity bill is built up from your lighting usage so that's quite a good saving in a year. Also the savings you make on replacement bulbs help your pockets out as well.

 

Are LED bulbs more expensive than regular bulbs?

 

Yes they are. Currently LED bulbs are quite expensive in comparison to other ECO friendly light bulbs, but we are confident that as more people begin to use them in their homes the costs will come down considerably. In our opinion, the initial outlay of replacing your standard light bulbs with an LED bulb is worth it as you will not need to replace them again for another 20 years. Even by looking at the cost of purchasing 600 standard light bulbs during the lifespan of one LED bulb you can see how much you will save, not alone the additional costs of purchasing standard light bulbs such as fuel to drive to the shops or postage and packaging costs on delivery.

 

What colour LED bulbs can I buy?

 

Most new LEDs are now available in a range of different colours. To see what LED bulbs we have in stock and the variety of colours available please use the search facility on our home page.

 

What can I use LED for?

 

LED's can be used anywhere in the home or office. As LED's are also available as strip lights they can be installed under counters, stairways and in cupboards. They can also be used in garages and sheds and as some varieties are waterproof they are great for outdoor use as well.

 

Measuring Light

 

Light colour is measured on a temperature scale called Kelvin (K). Lower numbers mean the light appears yellowish and higher numbers mean the light is whiter or bluer.

Warm white and soft white is the colour light standard bulbs give out. Most ECO friendly light bulbs come in warm colours to match the light of a standard bulb, however with ECO light bulbs you can also choose from a range of hues for specific lighting needs, or to create ambience.

To achieve a cool white, neutral or bright white light effect, look for bulbs marked 3500-4100K. This type of lighting shade is good for kitchens and work spaces.

To achieve a bluer white light effect, which is more like a natural or daylight effect, look for lights marked 5000-6500K. This lighting shade is good for reading in.

You can see an example of the Kelvin Scale below to help you understand the lighting effects achieved according to the value of K applied to a light bulb.

 

 

Colour Temperatures	Kelvin (K)
Warm White	2700-3200K
White	3500-3700K
Cool White	4000-4500K
Daylight	6000-6500K

 

Regrettably LED are not all the same and many sellers are misleading customers. Some suppliers over rate the brightness and wattage.

The brightness is measured in Lumens and the Wattage is power used to provide this lumens

So higher the lumens and lower wattage the better the LED bulb. Downside the cost increase with the higher lumens.

On average you should get between 80-120lm/watt