Tip Sheet 4: Light up your life for less

Did you know that by carefully selecting your lamps and fittings, you can cut your energy costs by more than half? With the average Victorian household spending over $100 a year on lighting, that makes for a handy saving.

There are three main types of household lights to choose from—incandescent, halogen, and fluorescent. These lights are suitable for different rooms and uses in your home.

Incandescent
Incandescent lights (globes) are the most commonly used type of lighting. They are inexpensive to buy, but running costs are high. In addition, they have to be frequently replaced as they only last 1000 hours.

Incandescent lights are recommended for lighting bedrooms, hallways, bathrooms and other infrequently used rooms.

Quartz halogen
Halogen lamps are about twice as energy efficient as standard incandescent globes. They are more expensive to buy, but last up to 2000 hours. Being low voltage lights, they require a transformer.

Halogen lamps are ideal for highlighting features such as a painting on a wall or for task lighting such as directly over a cooking area or study desk.

Fluorescent
There are two types of fluorescent lamps—compact and tubular. Fluorescent lamps are the most energy efficient form of lighting. They are expensive to buy but cheap to run and last up to 8000 hours.

Compact fluorescent lamps
Compact fluorescent lamps are ideal for rooms where lighting is required for long periods of time, such as in the living room and kitchen. Frequently switching fluorescent lights on and off reduces their life—thus they are not recommended for bathrooms, toilets and most bedrooms.

Tubular fluorescent lamps
Tubular fluorescent lamps, also known as tube lights, are available as straight or circular tubes. They are cheaper to buy than compact fluorescent globes. Tube lights are ideal for kitchens, garages and workshops.

Cost Comparison

* includes power consumed by the transformer.
** Does not include cost of light fitting, transformer and installation.