How To Get Started Towards A Low-Energy Lifestyle

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Most people these days are fully aware of the need to start developing eco-friendly habits such as cutting back on energy consumption. The trouble is that being bludgeoned about the head with imperatives to "Go Green!" is about as helpful as being berated to lose weight.

We know it's probably (oh alright, almost certainly) the correct course of action, but no-one enjoys being lectured to and anyway it can seem like an awful lot of effort and frankly, where to start?

Well, as the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tze put it: "a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step" and as far as switching to a low-energy lifestyle is concerned that first step doesn't get much simpler than replacing some of your energy-wasteful incandescent light bulbs with LED lighting.

As with any first step, you want to make sure that your initial efforts produce tangible results otherwise you'll get discouraged and give up before you really even get going. So pick a room that matches one or preferably all of these characteristics: the lights get used more than other rooms; there are a reasonable number of lights; it could perhaps benefit from a lighting makeover anyway.

For many people the room that ticks most boxes is the kitchen. It's frequently regarded as the heart of the home, so gets plenty of use and often contains a lot of lighting anyway, and once you've seen what LED kitchen lights can bring to the party you'll be keen to give it a go.

What you want to do is one or both of these two things: a) replace existing light bulbs (or lamps as they're properly termed) with LED versions that produce an equivalent level and quality of light; and b) augment your existing lighting with additional LED lights.

Many modern kitchens use halogen lamps, either recessed or set on tracks, for their main lighting and these are easily replaced with GU10 LED bulbs. You just pull the old one out (and bin it, they cost way more to actually use than to buy) and push the new one in. If you happen to have a low-voltage system instead then the same applies to MR16 lamps, but you should also replace the 12v transformers with LED drivers as well.

If you have lighting inside, above or underneath wall cabinets then again just replace them with LED equivalents, and if you don't then now's a great opportunity to install some. This is where LED striplights really come into their own since they're lightweight, easy to fit, very bright and give off no heat.

If your kitchen has never previously seen an LED light in its life before then it's a sure bet that plinth, coving and/or kickboard lighting will be a novelty you might also be tempted to install. Just try to avoid veering towards kitchen lighting ideas that start to resemble the flight deck of a spaceship though - sometimes, less really is more.

Finally, bear in mind these key points about low-energy LED lights.

Quality counts; cheap LEDs are a false economy that will disappoint and cost you more in the end than higher priced "brand name" products. High quality LED lights are still not widely available in retail stores but are easy to source online - just be sure to stick to specific brands that have good consumer reviews and are sold by reputable dealers (who will often also offer warranties on their products).

Don't be scared by the purchase price. It cannot be stressed enough that the true cost of lighting is in the running costs not the price of the lamps. A typical domestic LED currently lasts over 50,000 hours and will cost about the same to run in all that time as its original purchase price, whereas using regular halogen lamps over the same period will cost approximately 1,000 times the purchase price of a single lamp. Simple maths then tells you that even an LED that costs 10 or 20 times more to buy than a conventional lamp provides a fantastic saving over time.

Think differently about LED lights. With incandescent lighting it's possible to fit a single 100w bulb in the middle of the ceiling and effectively illuminate the room (it will look absolutely ghastly, but nevertheless bright enough to use). This is just about possible with some of the latest LED GLS bulbs but it's not really the way to utilise this technology.

Low-energy LED lighting is most effective when you distribute the light sources, in other words use a range of individual units and vary the color temperature and brightness. The trick is to strike the right balance between looking like an interrogation cell (stark 100w bulb) or a crypt lit by a thousand candles (too many underpowered LEDs).

Anyway, there you have it; a simple way to take those initial steps towards reducing your energy consumption without really sacrificing anything. At the same time you can look forward to reaping the financial benefits and feeling quite reasonably proud about your contribution towards a more sustainable future.