Old light bulbs drive up electricity costs massively. LED lamps save up to 90 percent energy and last significantly longer. Which mistakes can be costly when using lighting and how it is worth making the switch.
Why old light bulbs are money wasters
Light is part of everyday life – but the choice of light source can have a significant impact on your electricity bill. Classic light bulbs in particular have long been considered energy guzzlers: they only use around five percent of the energy they absorb for brightness, the rest is wasted as heat, reports Check24. A comparison from Verivox illustrates the cost traps: If five 75-watt light bulbs burn for four hours a day, the electricity costs add up to around 190 euros per year. Modern LED lamps with the same luminosity, on the other hand, only cost around 20 euros.
What alternatives are there?
If you want to save money, you now have various options for replacing old light bulbs. Halogen lamps have long been an interim solution. They consume around 20 to 30 percent less electricity than classic light bulbs, but are still among the inefficient light sources, explains Check24. Energy-saving lamps perform significantly better: They require up to 80 percent less energy and last longer, but contain small amounts of mercury. LED lamps have the greatest effect. They save up to 90 percent of electricity, have an extremely long service life of up to 50,000 hours and do not contain any harmful substances. This makes them the most efficient and environmentally friendly alternative today.
Common mistakes in everyday life
Despite the ban on sales since 2009, old light bulbs can still be found in some households – a mistake that unnecessarily costs a lot of electricity, emphasizes Check24. Misunderstandings often occur when choosing modern light sources: Many people pay particular attention to the wattage, even though lumens and Kelvin are actually crucial for brightness and light color. Not only is energy wasted, but the desired lighting mood is also missed. Another classic is the burning light in unused rooms. Although this error is less significant with LED lamps because they are very economical to begin with, it is still unnecessary consumption, as Verivox points out.
How to calculate the costs yourself
You can easily calculate how much power a lamp actually consumes. The rule of thumb is: wattage multiplied by the daily operating time, divided by 1000, gives the consumption in kilowatt hours. An example makes the differences clear: a 60-watt light bulb that lights up for five hours a day produces around 109.5 kilowatt hours per year. An LED with comparable brightness only requires 12.8 kilowatt hours at seven watts over the same period of time. Even with individual lamps, it becomes clear how great the savings potential is.
Tips on how to save in the long term
If you want to permanently reduce your electricity costs, you should consistently rely on modern technology. Check24 particularly recommends replacing old light bulbs with efficient LED lamps. The portal also recommends smart solutions such as motion detectors or dimmable lamps to further reduce consumption. Another point is the service life: Although LEDs are more expensive to purchase, they quickly make up for this with their long service life and low energy requirements.
Jonas Vogt, editorial team at finanzen.net
