Energy saving has become a recent hot topic for several reasons. First of all, energy saving devices and appliances started to flood into the market and advertised the idea. On the other hand it is certainly common sense to save on every household’s budget. But what really made it a hot issue of the 21st century is the connection between the saving energy and protecting the environment. We are living in a century where global warming is no longer a distant theory learnt at school but a change of climate all of us can experience in our daily lives. Energy consumption is one, major form of CO2 emission, which is the capital reason for global warming. Eco-friendliness or protecting the environment from further damage is now a global as well as a government issue, therefore restrictions on carbon emission and general support of going green is part of the program of the UK government.

LED lights and energy-saving lighting can be an easy and affordable start in saving a large percent of your energy both in your home or your business. This relatively new form of lighting revolutionised the way we will illuminate the world for many years to come. Due to the young age of the technology it is developing rapidly, but replacement bulbs for many traditional forms of light are already available. LED lighting does not only offer new technology, but also new forms of lighting are available, like the strip lights or single LEDs for signal lighting. Top brands in LED lighting, like CREE or Philips already announced true replacements of 60W incandescent lights, with a power consumption of only 10-12W and an extremely long lifespan. Also, there is an even wider range of LED lights, if you are prepared to put up with a narrower beam angle you can get replacement light bulbs with somewhat less light (or more directional light) for a fraction of the price. These LED lights – even the higher performance ones will save you 60% of your lighting bill, but this rate might go up to 90% as well.

Another field of saving energy is the previously mentioned use of appliances. There is an extremely wide range of energy-saving appliances, now even the simplest hot-water kettle has an energy-saving version (by simply boiling only the amount of water you need, not the full kettle). These appliances are classified into energy classes, and the best ones are currently the A+++. These applications will definitely save on your energy – meanwhile devices using water will save you water as well. If you are still struggling with your old washing machine, it is high time for a change, and you will be surprised to see the difference in your energy bill too.

Needless to mention you can save energy by reducing the operating hours of these gadgets, as well as by switching off your lights as often as you can. Though the number of switches mattered with compact lights, and switching them on and off actually was not economical (and required a lot of patience while waiting for it to fully brighten up), this problem no longer exists with these LED lights turning on instantly with full brightness.

If you follow these two simple rules whenever you spend on a new device or light bulb, you will quickly saving energy and see a huge drop in your electricity bill. You do not necessarily have to think in huge changes, every light bulb changed will add up eventually, and every application bought will save you some more. Just do it one step at a time.