A BUCKINGHAM man hopes to be a beacon for the future as he brings the latest energy saving light bulbs, which have a life span measured in decades, to the town.
Mark Simmons of the Energy Association (EA) is receiving new editions of the LED solid state light bulbs on a weekly basis and says he is already saving Buckingham businesses thousands of pounds with the bulbs which last for 20 years and run at the 10th of the cost of energy efficient fluorescent bulbs.
He now hopes to find volunteers willing to visit care homes and the homes of the elderly for a social enterprise project which he hopes to grow into a profit making business.
Mr Simmons said LED technology from the 1980s had now come of age and that in the future, bulbs could last up to 30 or 40 years. At that point he said, you would no longer be able to buy light bulbs because it would become more efficient to build them into electrical devices.
The EA has already fitted LEDs in a number of Buckingham businesses. In particular Mr Simmons overhauled the lighting at TJs off licence shaving £1,200 off its annual electricity bill.
Mr Simmons said: “The bulbs are completely safe they use so little energy. And there’s no heat, so in case of TJs part of their saving was from reducing the amount they used their air conditioning.
“What we want to do now is take them into care homes and the homes of the vulnerable. They are the people who stand to benefit the most from the reduction in their electricity bill.
“Beside the benefit they get from knowing they are reducing their carbon footprint, the bulbs are also closer to daylight so they’re ideal for those with bad eyesight and would be good for a business like a hairdressers.
“So it is a win-win situation.”
Mr Simmons said a typical filament light bulb costs £20 per year to run if left on for eight hours a day. A fluorescent bulb would cost £11, while an LED bulb would cost just £1 per year.
To find out more about the Energy Association visit www.energy-association.com or call 01280 830003.