Home energy saving case study: LED lighting to slash bills

Busy professional couple Mark and Gaby Ereira-Guyer wanted an effective energy saving solution for their Suffolk home with a quick effect on bills while cutting carbon footprint at the same time.

Overview

SaveMoneyCutCarbon stepped in to manage the process, given the couple’s time constraints – Gaby is a teacher and art therapy counsellor and Mark is a Green campaigner, Suffolk County Councillor and voluntary/community sector consultant.

SaveMoneyCutCarbon completed a home energy saving survey and installed LED lighting throughout the property to ensure that electricity consumption was reduced by up to 85%.

The home energy saving project

While the couple had insulated the loft of their detached Victorian townhouse in Bury St Edmunds, and installed secondary glazing they want to go much further in their home energy saving and carbon cutting project.

There was ample scope for simple but highly effective power saving solutions for the property, built in 1900, with lighting a central focus in the ongoing work to not only save money on utility bills but also reduce carbon emissions associated with energy use.

The couple worked with SaveMoneyCutCarbon to identify the extent of the lighting work and the company assessed the budget to be allocated to ensure maximum returns.

The Victorian townhouse has a bedroom and office in the basement with kitchen, dining and living area, sitting room, office and WC on the ground floor. There are three bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor.

SaveMoneyCutCarbon supplied and installed LED lighting throughout the property, replacing (and recycling) 55 traditional incandescent to halogen bulbs in a wide variety of fittings – ceiling pendant, lampstands, desk lamps, downlights, bedside lights and wall lights.

Results

Testing the LED lighting that was installed in the full retrofit shows remarkable savings of up to 85%, depending on setting. While the full annual effect on bills will be revealed over the next 12 months, similar LED lighting installations have delivered annual savings on electricity bills of nearly £260.

The couple’s carbon footprint will also shrink by around 80% and the energy savings will continue to grow for a decade or more as the LED technology in quality bulbs should ensure a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours – they are a ‘fit-and-forget’ solution.

What’s more, the couple report that the quality of light from the LEDs has transformed their home environment.

Quotes

Gaby Ereira-Guyer says: “The way the lights make our home look and feel has really impressed us. Our home feels so much brighter and lighter. It’s amazing how different it feels: it’s a very clean light and it’s also great to know the lights use so much less energy. The quality is exceptionally high – we know now that not all LED lights are the same so it’s worth sourcing the right bulbs from a specialist.

“The most noticeable improvement was in our daughter’s bedroom and the garage where we had very old energy saving lightbulbs. The impact on the kitchen/living/dining area also makes the combined space a much better place to spend time.”

Mark Ereira-Guyer says: “We’re both committed to living a lifestyle that is as eco and sustainable as we can. We’ve chosen a green, independent energy company, we save with a green and sustainable bank and I’m a Green councillor. We’ve made some efficiency changes to our home but the impact this will have on our electricity bill and the carbon saved are good reasons for us to choose to go ahead with SaveMoneyCutCarbon.

“Switching to LED lights throughout our home will reduce our lighting costs by up to 85% and it should help reduce our lighting carbon footprint by a similar amount. I’m amazed that we, and others like us, had no idea that something so simple could make such a big difference.

“I would wholeheartedly recommend that people look into buying high quality LEDs – the ambience at home is so much better, they save us money and can last for over 10 years.”

Mark Sait, CEO of SaveMoneyCutCarbon says: “When we tell people that by fitting LEDs they can end up paying only 10-15% of their previous lighting bill year after year, they do look surprised quite often. The huge reduction in energy consumption is well tested and documented now, meaning that people can be very confident that investment in this excellent green technology is repaid very rapidly.”