Lighting Energy Savings
Recent Items
-
Troy Lighting Bamboo 8 Light Island
$1,156.00 -
Quoizel Venezia Island Light
$838.60 -
George Kovacs Pierce Counter Weight Chandelier
$330.00
Recent Categories
Lighting Energy Savings
In the average American home, lighting makes up about 15% of the energy bill. While many homeowners cringe at the word “fluorescent,” the truth is that energy efficient lighting has come a long way since the days of flickering, green-ish bulbs. Besides swapping out the bulbs in your home, there are many other simple ways you can enjoy lighting energy savings! Here are a few.
-
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs. It’s understandable why many steer clear of fluorescents - many commercial fluorescent lights (especially much older models) flicker, and cast a harsh light. Fear not: the light quality has come a long way, and there are versions available now that are nearly identical to incandescent light. Just choose a version with a CRI (color rendering index) of 80 or above. Since compact fluorescents screw into place just like a regular light bulb, you can easily replace a few light bulbs in your home for lighting energy savings.
A compact fluorescent bulb uses 75% less energy than a standard bulb, and can give you $40 in lighting energy savings in its lifetime.
- LED Lighting. While LED’s are not as versatile as compact fluorescent bulbs (you need to buy a speciality fixture for LED’s), their lighting energy savings are more dramatic. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that the widespread use of LED’s over the next 20 years would save a total of about $265 billion in energy costs!
- Halogen Bulbs. Still not a fan of fluorescent or LED? Halogen light bulbs are incandescent sources that are slightly more efficient than regular incandescent bulbs, lasting a little more than twice as long. Plus, they don’t fade with age. This is because halogen bulbs include a special gas inside that helps clean the bulb. While halogen bulbs may not give you the lighting energy savings of fluorescent or LED, they are certainly more efficient and can save you the trouble of changing your bulbs as frequently.
-
Dimmer Switches. If you’re not keen on swapping out your existing bulbs or fixtures, installing a dimmer switch can also drastically increase the life of your bulbs (and your savings). Simply dimming your light 25% can increase your energy savings by 20%. Dim them even more, and you’ll enjoy more lighting energy savings.
>Also See:
