The LED Bulbs that Save Energy and Look Great

6 min readMar 15, 2021

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Energy saving bulbs that look good? Yes, there is such a thing. There was a time, not so long ago, when energy saving bulbs had a bit of a bad reputation. They took ages to ‘warm up’ and become bright, though they didn’t actually get *that* bright. But thankfully, all that has changed! Are you still using the old spiral type of energy saving bulbs? We had a couple lurking about the house too. Maybe it’s time to upgrade to new LED bulbs?

Thanks to my new partnership with energy saving experts SaveMoneyCutCarbon, I’ve replaced a the last of the old fashioned ones with the new breed of energy efficient LED bulbs that look really good, too.

Read on to see how LED bulbs not only look great, but also save energy, money and landfill.

How LED Bulbs Save Money and Waste

New light bulbs may not be the first thing you think about when it comes to saving energy and money. But LED bubs are such a quick, simple energy efficient swap, it’s bit of a no-brainer for me.

Meet the LED Bulbs That Look Great and Do Good

On average by switching to LED you can save up to 90% on your energy bills over the year. This is because LEDs are a lower wattage than traditional bulbs. In addition, LEDs will last around 15,000 each whereas a traditional bulb will only last up to 2000 hours — great news for landfill.
Save Money Cut Carbon

So why is an LED bulb a better eco-friendly choice than the old energy saving bulbs?

In energy saving bulbs, an electric current is used to excite gases the bulb, causing a phosphorous coating on the inside of the bulb to glow and emit light. An energy saving bulb has to be a higher wattage than an equivalent LED bulb. Think 15W vs 5W, meaning it needs more power to light up.

SaveMoneyCutCarbon say by swapping to an LED you’ll save around £4.50 a year per bulb, based on average energy costs. If you consider how many bulbs you have in your house, that’s quite the saving! We have 9 in our lounge alone!

The added benefit of LED is extra brightness, and the instant light, because you’re not waiting for the gases inside the bulb to excite.

An LED bulb will last an average of 15,000 hours. A traditional energy saving bulb will only last around 8000. So think of how much landfill and raw materials LED bulbs save, on top of the energy saved when being used.

A Bright Idea for Our Cloak Room

I’d be willing to bet that most households still have the odd old fashioned energy saving bulb lurking somewhere. We had this one in our downstairs toilet until this week. It’s one of those things that has been bugging me for oh, about 7 years since we moved in!

We just put back the old bulb even after decorating, and fitting a new light fitting. Because we have an openwork lamp shade, it’s even worse as you can see the bulb so clearly. Now I’ve changed it, I wish I’d done it sooner. See how much brighter it is, and how much nicer the light tone is too?

Cloakroom with a bamboo-framed mirror and shelf above a sink tile tiled with grey tiles, lit up by a new eco-friendly LED bulb in a grey shade. There is a collection of brightly coloured embroideries and a vintage-style art print of St Ives on the wall, and a window with a yellow plant stand on the windowsill

Our cloakroom is so bright now, you could even do your make-up in the mirror. It’s also a much cleaner, fresher type of light, not like the muddy yellowish light from the old ‘eco bulb’.

Curious about the wrapped up toilet paper on the back of the toilet? Pop over to read all about this more eco-friendly toilet roll.

A man holds up a giant LED bulb as a woman takes a picture, you can see the reflection of a lounge in the bulb

Fancy LED Bulbs (That Look Vintage)

I love the look of the vintage light bulbs, so I was delighted to find an oversized LED bulb that looks perfect in our floor lamp. It’s huge! I think it looks great in our industrial-style black floor lamp, and gives such a lovely warm glow.

Giant LED bulb in a black industrial floor lamp in front of colour coded bookshelves

Living room with colour coded bookshelves, a drinks trolley and an Ercol arm chair with an industrial style black floorlamp lit up by a giant LED bulb

Our Dining Light’s Had a Makeover Too

We already had a vintage style filament LED light in this light fitting, but I popped in the new one I was sent. Even though the old one is probably only 3 or 4 years old, this one is nicer, and brighter.

I would always choose a vintage-style bulb in a fitting where the bulb is exposed, as I just don’t think there’s any comparison with a standard bulb, they look so much nicer, whether turned on our off.

ShadeSwitch LED Bulbs for Different Moods

I popped the Philips SceneSwitch bulb in the home office light fitting. You can swap from a warm to a cool light tone, and back again just by turning it off and on again at the wall. Clever hey! I must admit was was skeptical about this but you can see the difference quite clearly.

Ledvanced battery powered Cabinet Light in a wardrobe

Clever Sensor Lighting for Cupboards and Cabinets

LEDs with sensors save even more energy, as they turn off on their own after a period of no movement. This Ledvance cabinet light is battery powered, so it can be fitted anywhere, in my wardrobe in our case. The PIR sensor means that it will automatically come on when it senses movement.

So, energy efficient LED lightbulbs will save you energy, and therefore money on your electricity bills. They give a much brighter, more efficient light, last much longer, thereby saving on landfill, and also look great. That’s my favourite kind of eco swap!

You can explore the whole range of eco-friendly LED light bulbs at SaveMoneyCutCarbon. You can also make savings if you join their eco club, which I reviewed recently.

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