At Home

Lighting

Lighting accounts for 15 per cent of a typical household’s electricity bill. You can cut your lighting bill and energy use by changing which bulbs you use and how you use them. Houses typically use a mixture of standard light fittings and downlighters or spotlight fittings. Energy efficient bulbs are available for both types of fittings. 

Which light bulbs are energy efficient? 

There are two main types of energy efficient light bulbs available. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).

Both CFLs and LEDs are a cost-effective option for most general lighting requirements. LEDs are available to fit most fittings and are particularly good for replacing spotlights and dimmable lights, they are more efficient than CFLs and will save you more money in the long term. 

LEDs use 80% less energy than a traditional bulb.  Using just one bulb could save you £100 in its lifetime (and they last up to ten times longer than normal bulbs).

What else can I do to save energy?

You can save money and energy by implementing control mechanisms and being conscious of how you use your lighting.

• Always turn lights out when leaving a room, regardless of how long for.
• Be conscious of how many lights you have on and whether they all need to be in use.
• Arrange light switches so that its convenient to turn them off i.e. place switches at top and bottom of stairs, each end of a hallway and each door to a room.
• Use a sensor and timer on external lights so they are only in use when they need to be.
• Use appropriate lightings i.e. a low back ground light while watching television and a bright, concentrated light for reading. Having a range of lights in a room with separate switches will make this easier.

Saving water

How water efficient are you? In Gibraltar, all of our potable water is produced via a process of desalination which is very energy intensive. In addition to this, we then use energy to heat water for showers, baths and hot water from the tap. Reducing unnecessary water wastage is therefore one of the best things we can do to lower our energy use and minimise our impact on the planet.

How can I save energy & water at home?

• A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and, in one week, wastes enough water to fill half a bath. Ensure taps are fixed and fully turned off.
• Is your hot water too hot? Your hot water needs to be no hotter than 60°C (or 140 °F). Fitting an insulation jacket to your hot water cylinder costs around £20 and will save £15 a year.
• Consider installing water efficient shower heads – these can produce water flows that feel far higher than they actually are, saving both water and energy
• Taps with a low flow rate can be fitted to bathroom  and kitchen sinks
• Even if you’re not looking to replace taps or shower units, you can still save water by fitting flow regulators to showers and aerators to taps. 
• A running tap wastes more than 6 litres of water a minute, so turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your face. Use cold water if you don’t need hot. 
• Try to avoid wasting water from running taps while waiting for hot water – collect it for use elsewhere.