When your parents told you to turn off the lights to save money, they knew what they were talking about. Lighting is responsible for about 15 percent of a home's total energy use. Fortunately, there are more energy efficient lighting choices than ever before, and selecting the right lights and the right controls can help you lower your energy use for lighting by as much as 50 percent to 75 percent.
- Choose light fixtures and bulbs that have earned the government's Energy Star® rating. They produce more light with less heat and electricity, and many last much longer
- If every U.S. household replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a high-efficiency compact fluorescent bulb, the nation would eliminate more than 35 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. And, if every home replaced its five most frequently used lights with Energy Star® rated bulbs and fixtures, the nation would prevent as much greenhouse gases as 10 million cars generate
- Design your home to take advantage of as much daylight as possible, by using strategically placed windows and skylights
- Remember that the quality of light is more important than the quantity
- Lighter wall colors reduce the amount of artificial light needed
- Smaller task lights may be more useful and economical than larger fixtures that light an entire room
- If you expect a particular ceiling- or wall-mounted light to be on more than two hours per day, choose a fluorescent fixture
- If there are rooms you'll use only occasionally and for brief time, consider installing occupancy sensors that automatically turn on lights when someone enters the room.
To learn more about ways to brighten up your home while keeping energy costs under control, visit these helpful sources: