Energy-Wise: Lighting
You don't have to live in the dark to lower the lighting portion
of your electric bill! Lowering lighting levels in your home is an easy
conservation measure since most customers use more light than is needed:
Turn off lights in any room not being used.
Keep lamps and fixtures clean to ensure you're getting all of the light you're paying for. Dust, grease, and other dirt accumulations on lamps, lenses, globes, and reflecting surfaces of the fixture can reduce light output by as much as 30%. Cleaning will increase the light output and may allow you to remove some lamps or to install lower wattage ones.
Use one large bulb instead of several small ones in areas where bright light is needed. Always remember, however, to take advantage of natural lighting whenever possible.
Consider installing solid-state dimmers or hi-low switches when replacing light switches. These make it easy to reduce lighting intensity in a room and thus save energy.
Replace incandescent with compact fluorescents. The conventional screw-in incandescent light bulb not only is extremely inefficient, it also has a very short life and must be replaced frequently. Without changing the fixture (just screw it in), compacts make it possible to replace an incandescent with a more efficient and long-lasting fluorescent lamp. For example, where you have been using a 60-watt incandescent, you can screw in a 15-watt compact fluorescent that will last 10 times as long and will deliver about the same amount of light for one-quarter the energy! Although compact fluorescents are considerably more expensive than incandescent, they will more than pay for themselves with savings in electricity, lamp replacement and labor costs.
How to save $22 on a light bulb
| Comparing total costs over 10,000 hours for a compact fluorescent and an incandescent. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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