The best bulbs for your home

LED lightbulbs use around 85% less energy and last longer than traditional incandescent bulbs – and they’re safer for your home.

Replacing the bulbs in your home with LEDs can save you money in on your power bills, and reduce the number of replacements you need to make.

LED lights are one of the easiest, lowest cost energy efficiency improvements you can make in your home – so there’s never a wrong time to start.

How much can you save?

For each incandescent bulb you replace with an LED, you can save between $100 and $300 over its lifetime (depending on the wattage of the bulb you replace).

  • 30,000 hrs

    Lifetime of LED lights

  • 2,000 hrs

    Lifetime of incandescent bulbs

Why choose LEDs

  • Energy efficiency – LED light bulbs use up to 85% less electricity than traditional incandescent or halogen bulbs – which will be reflected in your power bills.
  • Cost savings – Replacing a single bulb can save you $100-$300 in running costs.
  • Low upfront cost – LED bulbs range from $3-$10 per bulb, depending on the type. This is slightly more up front than an incandescent bulb, but a low-cost improvement that makes a big difference.
  • Longer life – LEDs last up to 10-20 times longer than incandescent bulbs – so you’ll replace them far less often, reducing your long-term costs.
  • Easy to replace – LEDs are available in most supermarkets and DIY shops, and are easily replaced on your own.
  • Quality – LED bulbs come in a wide range of looks and styles, and offer instant brightness in a range of different tones. They also handle being switched on and off repeatedly, making them ideal for rooms with frequent visits like toilets and wardrobes.
  • Safety – Unlike other lights that produce a lot of heat – most LEDs can be installed without gaps between them and insulation (which reduces fire risk with other downlights). This can improve the overall insulation and energy performance of your home, by allowing better insulation, safely.

If every New Zealand household installed LED lighting, we’d avoid 45,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year – the emissions of almost 16,000 petrol cars.   

Data source: Energy End Use Database, EECA 2024 (2022 data).

The right LED for the job

LEDs come in lots of different styles including standard light bulbs, spotlights, candles and recessed downlights.

You can choose dimmable or non-dimmable bulbs, and some can change their light colour or brightness even without a dimmer switch.

The main considerations for choosing your LEDs include:

  • Base type – For a standard bulb, check if you need a bayonet or screw fitting.
  • Voltage – For halogen spotlights, check if you need a low-voltage (12 V) MR16 (also called GU5.3) bulb with two sharp pins, or a mains-voltage (240 V) GU10 bulb with two studs.
  • Brightness – LED packaging shows light output in lumens, usually with the equivalent wattage of an incandescent bulb. Note that LEDs will typically appear brighter.
  • Colour – Warm white is more comfortable in homes. Cool white works best where contrast is important, such as workshops and garages.

Points to watch when switching to LEDs

  • LEDs shouldn't be used in enclosed fixtures where the bulb is fully encased in plastic or glass, such as some porch lights. LEDs need good ventilation for a long life – if they get too hot, they may fail.
  • For recessed downlights, it’s best to replace the whole fitting rather than just the bulb, because the biggest savings for these come from reducing heat loss into your ceiling.

Common questions

It pays to go electric

Powering your home with efficient, electric appliances can save you in energy costs – and slash your carbon footprint.

We’ve done the math on key household energy uses such as heating, water heating, cooking and driving. The numbers show that the most efficient electric options make sense financially – both in terms of monthly running costs and overall lifetime costs.

Discover how your household might stand to benefit from going electric.

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