Energy-Efficient Lighting Tips

A typical home uses 400-1000 kiloWatt-hours per year in lighting. To become more energy efficient with lights throughout your home, follow these tips:

• Clean your light fixtures regularly.
• Turn off lights when leaving a room.
• Provide task lighting over desks, tool benches, etc., so that activities can be carried on without illuminating entire rooms.
• If possible, put lamps in corners of rooms, where they can reflect light from two wall surfaces instead of one.
• Use compact fluorescent bulbs or LED in fixtures that are on for more than two hours a day. Compact fluorescent and LED bulbs will give an incandescent bulb's warm, soft light, while using up to 75 percent less electricity. They also last about 10 to 25 times longer. Typically, a 23-watt compact fluorescent bulb can replace a 90- or 100-watt incandescent bulb.
• Use dimmable bulbs when possible.
• Install photoelectric controls or timers to make sure that outdoor lighting is turned off during the day.

Energy-Efficient Lighting Products

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

• Compact fluorescent light bulbs put out as much light as regular incandescent bulbs, but last anywhere from 8 to 10 times longer, and use anywhere from 50 to 75 percent less electricity for the same (or more!) light output. In fact, some companies are making torchieres that use compact fluorescent lamps instead of hot halogen lamps. Others now make compact fluorescent track lighting and downlighting systems. Some of the newer lamps can be used with dimming devices.
• Some sample Web sites for products:
  • Real Goods
  • Energy Federation, Inc. lamp information
  • Lighting Research Center CFL lamp life test results

Compact Fluorescent Torchieres

• Compact fluorescent technology is available for floor lamps that can light up an entire room. Before 2006, these lamps, also called torchieres, traditionally contained very hot halogen lamps that were rated at 300 or 500 watts. Now, compact fluorescent torchieres can provide as much light, but without all the heat and safety issues. Like the current torchieres, the compact fluorescent floor lamps are dimmable.
• Some sample Web sites for products:
  • Energy Federation, Inc. CFL torchiere information
  • CFL Torchieres Article 

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