Whilst solar panels will generate plenty of solar power during the day the will stop working once the sun goes down. In the evenings you are going to have to buy in your electricity from your energy company and I know you don't want to make them any richer then they already are. One of the easiest ways to reduce your electricity bills is to switch your light bulbs to energy saving ones.
Most people are familiar with energy saving light bulbs, specifically the compact fluorescent bulbs. The modern types work well as they save electricity and so reduce your electricity bills. Not everyone likes them and still prefer the old style tungsten filament bulbs which are no longer available in the shops. There are still some problems with CFL bulbs, the main problem is that they are quite delicate and so if you drop them just like a traditional light bulb they shatter. With CFL that means they release mercury which isn't so good. They are also more difficult to get rid off after they stop working, most people do not realise that you can't just throw them in the bin due to the mercury content.
Don't get me wrong, I am one of the ones that bought one of the first CFL bulbs that were available. They cost a fortune and took ages to warm up when you switched them on. However what they did do was to save you money on your electricity bills. The more modern versions of compact fluorescent light bulbs are much cheaper and are at full brightness as soon as you flip your light switch.
A newer type of light bulb is now available, these are LED bulbs that are set to replace the CFL bulbs. You have probably seen them being used and not realised; many modern cars have them as daylights and brake lights. As with being one of the first people to buy a CFL bulb I was also on of the first to buy an LED bulb. It was expensive and not very bright, not even bright enough to light a room.
You can now buy these LED bulbs that directly replace your existing light bulbs. The modern versions are cheap to run, bright and last for tens of thousands of hours. A typical 75 watt equivalent LED uses only 7 watts of electricity which is 90% cheaper to run. If you replaced an existing 75 watt light bulb and replace it with a 7 watt LED you could save about £13 a year. This is based on you using your new light for 4 hours a day and an electricity price of 13 pence per kilowatt. Whilst £13 may not sound much if you replaced all of the lights in your house it would soon add up.
You are not likely going to be switching your lights on during the day and so you will not be able to use the electricity generated by your free solar panels to power them. You will be lighting your home at night, exactly the time when your solar panels stop working. This means using pay for electricity from your energy company so you will want to reduce your usage as much as possible. The easiest and cheapest way to do this is by replacing your light bulbs.
Most homes use what they call bayonet fitting or screw fitting bulbs, you can buy them at your local DIY store but the range isn't all that good and the prices tend to be higher. Buying online gives you much more choice and at a lower cost. At the moment I cannot recommend any particular make or brand as I am currently testing some cheap LED bulbs at the moment. What I will say is that the big name brands are not necessarily better than the unbranded ones.
So don't let the big 6 energy companies squeeze any more of your hard earned cash out of you and replace your light bulbs. You will save money every year on your electricity bills and your new bulbs will last for years and years, depending on usage anywhere up to 20 years or so.
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