Lighting
Ordinary light bulbs waste a lot of power. That's because they work by getting hot; you get a little light and a lot of heat. Change to energy saving lamps and you will probably use about 20% of the power. That means only one fifth of the solar panels, one fifth of the batteries or 80% less spent on electricity for lighting.
Energy Saving Lamps
If you're on the mains or your solar power system has a big enough inverter, then the best lamps you can use for most things are normal energy saving lamps. They fit in a standard light fitting, use about one fifth of the power of a normal light bulb and should last for years.
Low Voltage Lamps
If your solar power system is small and you don't have a big inverter, then you will be better off with low voltage lamps. These range from fluorescent strip lights to modern halogen lamps, and are available from caravan and boat suppliers, amongst others.
LED Lighting
A recent innovation in the field of low-power lighting is the light-emitting diode or LED lamp. LEDs have been in use for many years, but in recent years it has become possible to produce very bright, virtually white output versions. These are extremely efficient and produce virtually no heat.
The world of economical residential lighting continues to offer homeowners new choices. As energy costs fly off like a hot air balloon, new innovations come to the marketplace. As far as home lighting is concerned, new strides are being made not only in energy efficiency, but in bulb life. These are the benefits of LED lighting:
- Energy efficiency – The light bulbs burn very cool, while incandescent bulbs emit 98 per cent of their energy as heat! In other words normal light bulbs use up to 3 times more energy than LED lighting.
- Long life – These lights can last from 50,000 to 100,000 hours. Incandescent light bulbs typically last around 1,000 hours and fluorescents are good for roughly 10,000 hours. That is up to 10 times longer lasting.
- Rugged durability – LED lights have no fragile filament to contend with, and no fragile tube. They are resistant to heat, cold, and shock.
They are available as direct replacements for conventional and halogen lamps, in both 220 Volt and 12 Volt versions.