Eco-bulbs come in all shapes and sizes

• Save £600 over the lifetime of eco-lightbulbs if you use them throughout your house.

• Find out which are tops here.

Yes, yes, we know - eco-lightbulbs are all very well but they're ugly and flickery and dull. Well actually, technology has moved on since these bulbs were first invented, and the advances mean that energy-saving light bulbs are now even better for the environment and your pocket, as well as coming in a wide variety of fittings, shapes and sizes to suit your home. They really are better and we have found the best on the market for you.

Best buys

Which? conducted a rigorous lifetime test of the newer-style eco-light bulbs, finding that General Electric, Osram and Ikea come out on top in terms of lifetime, and liability to dim as they age.

• Best Buy 1: The General Electric Elegance T3 came out as the best bulb for exceeding its six-year lifetime by another two years. Their big plus is they can be used with timers, and they come with both a bayonet and a screw fitting. The bulbs are a twisted-tube shape, and at £3 Wilkinsons is the best place to buy them.

• Best Buy 2: The Osram Duluxstar also exceeds its lifetime and withstands being switched on and off. It offers the same coloured light as incandescents, but doesn't perform well in cold conditions. At three for £3 at Robert Dyas, these tube-shaped bulbs come in bayonet and screw fittings.

• Best Buy 3: Ikea has an exclusive bulb called the Sparsam, which offers strong light exceeding its lifetime but it is prone to dimming over time. Switching on and off poses no problems and it performs well in cold conditions, but the bulb is only available as a bayonet fitting for £3 at Ikea.

• The Mini Eco also deserves a mention for around the house usage (NOT porches or garages). They offer good light output and stand the test of time for only £2 a pop at Wilkinsons.

The ‘new look’ bulbs

Advanced technology means that eco-bulbs now come in all manner of sizes and shapes equivalent to your traditional bulbs in the home, only with all the added bonuses. You can get screw fittings, bayonet fittings, stick-shaped, candle-shaped and even a few types of halogen and dimmable eco-bulbs. More are constantly being produced so keep an eye out for what you need.

Why go for the green bulb?

New eco-bulbs that became available in July 2006 have been through rigorous lifetime testing to prove that traditional bulbs, at around 40p each, work out more expensive in the long run than the energy bulbs beginning at £2.

In fact, you can save more than double the cost of the bulb in the first year, already profiting from your purchase. And with energy-saving bulbs in your whole house you could save around £600 over the lifetime of the bulbs.

Energy-saving light bulbs use 80% less electricity than traditional bulbs, while producing the same amount of light. This means that our homes produce less carbon dioxide, which is one of the main causes of climate change. The government is proposing to phase out traditional bulbs within the next five years becasue the eco ones are so much more efficient and environmentally-friendly.

When you’re shopping, look for the Energy Saving Recommended logo to make sure you get the most energy efficient products on the market, and when disposing of the bulbs make sure you recycle them at electrical waste drop-off points - Ikea has one in-store.

Useful contacts

• Which? magazine
• Energy Saving Trust
• Get the General Electric Elegance T3 from Wilkinsons
• Get the Osram Duluxstar from Robert Dyas

Want to know more?

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