Yesterday I had two jobs. One was to get a replacement LED globe for a light fitting. The one that popped was about 8 years old and rated at 12W. The supermarket had 3s, 6s, 9s.

The local standard for domestic lighting has been incrementally ramped up. March this year it will be set to 105 lumens per Watt consumed.

Already the packaging has to disclose consumption, output (lumens), and some other info. Oh… and there’s a color coded bar chart of efficiency ratings from G (least) to A (most efficient).

At my local Checkers three brands were on display. 9W globes were priced from R29. 99 (Eurolux) to 34.99 (Osram). I was in a hurry, or else I would have gone to Liteglow in Randburg. But as they were all on a shelf in an aisle I could make myself even more late by studying the packaging.

There was a roughly 20% variance in efficiency. Only the Osram globe will met the March 2026 standard. In fact at 117lm/W it exceeds it.

The cheapest brand (Eurolux) was the least efficient. The Osram was an E for efficiency, the other two were Fs.

On getting home I checked a globe currently in use and a few years old. 6W, 440lm. The new standard will give 315lm for a 3 watter, and 620 @ 6W. This globe does not meet the current standard of 90lm/W.

Nothing will change immediately come March. Retailers and wholesalers get a grace period to sell their old stock.

So, your geyser loses more heat in a day than the bulbs use in a month, probably powered by coal... Shouldn't we get Eskom to reduce energy prices by 10% before we get bulbs to be 10% more efficient?

24 minutes ago, frivan said:

So, your geyser loses more heat in a day than the bulbs use in a month, probably powered by coal... Shouldn't we get Eskom to reduce energy prices by 10% before we get bulbs to be 10% more efficient?

We should have a standard for insulation on a geyser. Maybe there is. IDK.

I take your point about losses in geysers, but if there is a standard and if it's being tightened, then, slowly, we improve things.

36 minutes ago, Bobster. said:

We should have a standard for insulation on a geyser. Maybe there is. IDK.

SANS 10400-XA. But a quick read by my uneducated mind says this can only be applied to new builds. Seems to specify a glass wool blanket.

I had my geyser clad some years ago, because I was at war with my municipal bill and ISTM that electricity costs were where the biggest gains could be made.

45 minutes ago, Bobster. said:

I take your point about losses in geysers

My point was more that the most efficient lightbulbs doesn't compensate for losing smelters, industry and mines.

23 minutes ago, frivan said:

My point was more that the most efficient lightbulbs doesn't compensate for losing smelters, industry and mines.

You didn't mention any of that. That's why I didn't didn't speak to it.

Again I don't query the numbers, but an improvement remains an improvement. And sometimes this is how we improve things. If every 60W globe is replaced by a 5W LED then there's an individual saving per household, but the cumulative effect across the country could be huge. Think of all those LED gloves burning at 19:00 instead of incandescents. How much difference is that making to the grid?

For humble households it might make a difference to the number of days per month you can keep the lights on. That's a big deal.

Interestingly this gain is not down to Eskom or Gwede Mantashe, but to the Department of Trade & Industry.

Anyway, my point was that lighting is getting more efficient. That's beyond contestation I'd think. So, as I've discussed before, are appliances. All these gains are a good thing, even if no one solves the big problems.