Article reviewed by Jesús Andrade, an electronics engineer with an MBA from ESIC. He combines 20 years’ experience developing emergency lighting and risk-prevention devices with a strong background in business management. Andrade is currently CTO at SVE Worldwide, a company specialising in industrial risk-prevention solutions.
The price of electricity has a direct impact on the finances of millions of households. The fridge, oven, television, computer… Many of the devices we use every day rely on mains electricity to work. If the cost of the electricity we use at home rises, our household budget can come under greater pressure too.
Electricity is an essential part of modern homes. We may be able to do without certain services or products that add to our monthly spending for a while, but we rely on electricity for many everyday activities, from keeping food fresh and cooking to working and heating or cooling our homes.
Most household lighting also relies on mains electricity, so the energy it uses forms part of our electricity bill. At the same time, more and more devices are able to store energy for later use. This raises an obvious question: can a battery-operated lamp help you save money?
The answer is yes, in certain circumstances. However, simply having a battery does not automatically mean using less electricity. Any potential saving will depend on how the lamp is charged, the electricity tariff you are on, its efficiency and the type of lighting it replaces.
Contents
Factors that affect the price of electricity
How electricity prices affect households
How can a battery-powered lamp help you save money?
How a LILAK battery-powered lamp can help
Frequently asked questions about saving money with battery-powered lamps
Factors that affect the price of electricity
Every so often, the electricity bill arrives. It can be difficult not to hold your breath for a second or two before opening the letter or email and checking whether the amount is roughly what you expected. Sometimes, however, there can be an unwelcome surprise, particularly during the coldest months of winter or the hottest periods of summer, when electric heating or air conditioning can significantly increase consumption.
So why might we pay more one month than another even when our habits have not changed very much?
The amount we pay for electricity depends on several factors. These include how much energy we use, the unit rate under our tariff, any standing charges, network costs and levies, and the taxes that apply.
Electricity prices are also influenced by conditions across the wider energy system and by the technologies used to generate power. Electricity can come from different sources, including wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear power, as well as power stations that use fossil fuels such as natural gas.
High levels of renewable generation can help reduce wholesale electricity prices. Technologies such as wind and solar do not need to purchase fuel to generate electricity, although the installations themselves, the electricity networks and their maintenance still involve costs.
Fuel prices, electricity demand, weather conditions, available generation capacity and international events can also influence the cost of producing and supplying electricity.
How electricity prices affect households
Electricity prices have a direct impact on household finances. Although electricity is a service we pay for, it is very different from more discretionary spending, such as a subscription to a streaming platform.
We depend on electricity for many everyday activities. Keeping food chilled, running certain heating systems, cooking with electrical appliances, lighting our homes and working from home are just a few examples.
Because of this dependence, reducing unnecessary consumption and using energy efficiently can help us keep electricity bills under control.
How can a battery-powered lamp help you save money?
| How can it help you save? | Why? |
| 🕒 Shift electricity use to cheaper periods | The battery allows the lamp to be charged when electricity is cheaper and the stored energy to be used later. Any saving will depend on the tariff and on energy losses during charging and discharging. |
| 💡Use it as local task lighting | A portable lamp or rechargeable table lamp can light only the area you need, helping you avoid switching on the main lighting in an entire room when it is unnecessary. |
| 🌱 Benefit from LED efficiency | Battery-operated lamps commonly use LED technology, which can provide the required level of lighting with less energy than traditional technologies such as incandescent bulbs. The saving comes from the LED technology, not from the battery itself. |
| ☀️🔋Use charging methods other than mains electricity | Some models may incorporate systems such as small solar panels or dynamos. Part of the energy used by the lamp can therefore come from sources other than the mains, although the actual contribution will depend on the characteristics of each system. |
In recent years, a range of tools have become available to help households manage electricity costs more effectively, including energy suppliers with different tariffs, apps that show electricity prices and devices designed to use energy more efficiently.
Rechargeable lamps offer one particularly useful feature in this context: they can store energy for later use.
However, there is an important distinction to make. A rechargeable lamp does not save electricity simply because it contains a battery. If the battery is charged from the mains, the energy still ultimately comes from the electricity grid.
What a battery-powered lamp can do is shift some electricity use from one time of day to another. If your electricity tariff has different prices at different times, you may be able to charge the battery during a cheaper period and use the lamp later when electricity costs more. This can produce a financial saving, although the amount will depend on your tariff, the lamp’s energy consumption and the efficiency of its charging and storage system.
There is another potential way to save. A portable lamp lets you bring light exactly where you need it. For reading, working or carrying out a specific task, there may be no need to light an entire room if a rechargeable table lamp provides enough light in the area you are using.
LED technology is also particularly important. LEDs can provide a high level of light while using relatively little energy compared with traditional lighting technologies such as incandescent bulbs. This efficiency does not come from the battery, but from the technology used to produce the light and the efficiency of the lamp’s electronics.
Another advantage of some rechargeable battery-operated lamps is that their size and energy requirements can make it possible to incorporate additional generation or charging systems. Some models use small solar panels, while others may include a dynamo capable of converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.
In these cases, part of the energy used by the lamp may come from a source other than mains electricity. The actual contribution will always depend on the specific design of the system, how much energy it can generate and the capacity of the battery.
How a LILAK battery-powered lamp can help
LILAK has a clear mission: to create lamps with rechargeable batteries and emergency functionality that fit naturally into the home. Our lamps are designed for different situations, from everyday lighting to those moments when mains electricity is unavailable during a power cut.
LILAK lamps include a rechargeable battery that stores energy and allows the lamp to be used without being permanently connected to a socket.
We also use LED technology with the aim of providing efficient lighting while reducing the amount of energy required to produce the necessary level of light.
The battery also gives users greater flexibility over when the lamp is charged. With electricity tariffs where prices vary depending on the time of day, users can charge the lamp during cheaper periods and use the stored energy later.
Finally, the lamps include an additional dynamo-based generation system. This converts mechanical energy into electrical energy and provides another way to recharge the battery when access to a mains socket is unavailable.
A battery-powered lamp can therefore offer greater flexibility over how and when energy is used. Any financial saving does not come simply from adding a battery, but from combining efficient lighting with sensible energy use and, where possible, alternative charging sources.
Frequently asked questions about saving money with battery-powered lamps
How long does a lamp battery last?
Battery life depends on several factors, including the battery’s energy capacity, the power used by the LEDs and electronics, the selected brightness level and the overall efficiency of the device.
For this reason, it is important to consider how much runtime you actually need and to check the manufacturer’s specifications before choosing a portable lamp.
Does a rechargeable lamp use less electricity?
Not necessarily. A battery does not automatically make a lamp more efficient. Its energy consumption depends mainly on the light source, the electronics and the amount of light it provides.
Is it cheaper to charge a lamp at night?
It depends on your electricity tariff. Some tariffs offer different prices depending on the time of day, while others keep electricity prices stable over longer periods.
If there is a sufficient difference between cheaper and more expensive periods, charging a rechargeable lamp during the lower-cost hours and using the stored energy later may slightly reduce its running cost. Before doing so, it is worth checking the specific conditions of your electricity tariff.