Find ways to conserve energy by improving lighting with CFL bulbs

· Lighting accounts for much of your homes electricity use, about 15%. It provides a good opportunity to conserve electricity.

· Use LED lights this holiday to save a few dollars per string of lights. More.

· Be sure to turn off all lights that are not needed. Use lamps which will give an adequate amount of light without eye strain. Dimmers (sold in most stores) can be installed to control the amount of light.

· Rather than leaving the outside light on your home on all night, replace it with a motion sensor to save electricity.

· Fluorescent lamps provide far more light than incandescent ones, and these should be used where possible to help conserve. They give out more light per watt. For example, a 4-watt fluorescent lamp would save about 140 watts of electricity over a seven-hour period. These savings, over a period of time, could more than pay for the fixtures you would need to use fluorescent lighting.

· Turn off lights and appliances that no one is using. Turning off TV's, lamps, computers, VCR's, ovens, and other appliances that no one is one way how to conserve electricity.

· Consider fluorescent lighting or CFL bulbs for the kitchen sink and countertops areas.

· Use energy-saving light bulbs that will last up to nine times longer than a normal bulb and will use significantly less energy. It is true that a single 20- to 25-watt energy-saving bulb provides as much light as a 100-watt ordinary bulb.

· Photoelectric cells and timers should always be used for your security lighting.

· Lighting controls or "timers" can help save energy and electricity dollars, too. Timers can be set to turn lights on or off at predetermined times while a photocell control is sensitive to light and will turn lamps on and off at sundown and sunrise. Dimmers can vary the level of illumination according to how much light you may want in a given situation.

· You can conserve a lot of energy can be saved just by matching light bulb wattage to your lighting needs. A high wattage lamp in a hallway or alcove, for example, is not energy efficient.

· You can save by turning off the incandescent lights when you leave the room. But if you use fluorescent lighting, however, turn them off only if you will be gone longer than 15 minutes because fluorescent lights will use as much energy in starting as they use during 15 minutes of operation, so it is not worthwhile to turn them on and off for brief periods.

· Consider another trick. Many have found a way how to save by using task lighting (which is lighting directed at a specific area) instead of overhead or using general lighting, which may light unused areas of the room. An example is a reading light. By limiting lighting only to areas where it is needed, savings in the cost of bulbs and energy can be made.

· By keeping fixtures and lights clean, lighting efficiency can be improved. As much as 20 % of the light generated can be lost to hazing dusts. 

· Always do turn three-way bulbs down to the lowest lighting level when watching television. You will reduce the glare on the TV and conserve electricity.

[Home] [Air conditioner] [Contact] [Lighting] [Fridge & Freezer] [Washing Machine] [Water heaters] [News] [Price increases] [More Tips] [Smart Meters] [Turn off computer] [Weatherization conserves electricity]