Summary: Increasing your lighting efficiency is one of the fastest ways to decrease your electricity bills. Here are some great tips to help you save on your lighting bills. By: Dave Rongey
Turn off the lights in any room you're not using, or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on. Use task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it.
For example, use fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen sinks and countertops under cabinets. Consider three-way lamps; they make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not necessary.
Finally, use compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs); they are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs and last 6 to 10 times longer.
CFLs are more expensive than incandescent bulbs, but they pay for themselves by saving energy over their lifetime.
Check out Lighting for more tips.
Lighting
Making improvements to your lighting is one of the fastest ways to cut your energy bills. An average household dedicates 11% of its energy budget to lighting. Using new lighting technologies can reduce lighting energy use in your home by 50% to 75%. Advances in lighting controls offer further energy savings by reducing the amount of time lights are on but not being used.
Indoor Lighting
Use tube fluorescent and energy efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in fixtures throughout your home to provide high-quality and high-efficiency lighting. Fluorescent lamps are much more efficient than incandescent (standard) bulbs and last about 4 to 10 times longer.
Today's CFLs offer brightness and color rendition that is comparable to incandescent lights. Although fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps cost a bit more than incandescent bulbs, they pay for themselves by saving energy over their lifetime. CFL fixtures are now available that feature dimmers and operate much like incandescent fixtures.
Indoor Lighting Tips
Look for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing these products.
Turn off the lights in any room you're not using, or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
Use task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it. For example, use fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen sinks and countertops under cabinets.
Consider three-way lamps; they make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not necessary.
Use 4-foot fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for your workroom, garage, and laundry areas.
Consider using 4-watt mini fluorescent or electro-luminescent night lights. Both lights are much more efficient than their incandescent counterparts. The luminescent lights are cool to the touch.
Use CFLs in all the portable table and floor lamps in your home. Consider carefully the size and fit of these systems when you select them. Some home fixtures may not accommodate some of the larger CFLs.
Recessed down lights (also called recessed cans) are now available that are rated for contact with insulation (IC rated), are designed specifically for pin-based CFLs, and can be used in retrofits or new construction.
Take advantage of daylight by using light-colored, loose-weave curtains on your windows to allow daylight to penetrate the room while preserving privacy. Also, decorate with lighter colors that reflect daylight.
If you have torchieres fixtures with halogen lamps, consider replacing them with compact fluorescent trochees. Compact fluorescent torchieres use 60% to 80% less energy, can produce more light (lumens), and do not get as hot as the halogen torchieres. Halogen torchieres are a fire risk because of the high temperature of the halogen bulb.
Outdoor Lighting
Many homeowners use outdoor lighting for decoration and security. When shopping for outdoor lights, you will find a variety of products, from low-voltage pathway lighting to motion-detector floodlights. Some stores also carry lights powered by small photovoltaic (PV) modules that convert sunlight directly into electricity; consider PV-powered lights for areas that are not close to an existing power supply line.
Outdoor Lighting Tips
Use outdoor lights with a photocell unit or a motion sensor so they will turn on only at night or when someone is present. A combined photocell and motion sensor will increase your energy savings even more.
Turn off decorative outdoor natural gas lamps; just eight such lamps burning year-round use as much natural gas as it takes to heat an average-size home during an entire winter.
Exterior lighting is one of the best places to use CFLs because of their long life. If you live in a cold climate, be sure to buy a lamp with a cold weather ballast since standard CFLs may not work well below 40°F.
Also consider high-intensity discharge (also called HID) or low-pressure sodium lights.
»You Can Avoid Costly Mistakes!«
Here's How to Do It:
Wire It Right with the help of my Illustrated Wiring Book
Great for any Home Wiring Project.
See How to Wire it Right!
Learn more about Residential House Wiring
Complete Guide to Home Electrical Wiring
Perfect for Homeowners, Students and Electricians Includes: Home Electrical Wiring - Upgrade Electrical Wiring Wiring 120 Volt Circuits Wiring 240 Volt Circuits Wiring Multi-Wired Circuits Wiring Methods for Installing Home Electrical Circuit Wiring Electrical Codes for Home Electrical Wiring Electrical Troubleshooting and Repairs ....and much more. » Click here to learn more about Home Electrical Wiring
«
Sitemap Ceiling Fans Airplane Ceiling Fan Airplane Ceiling Fan Ceiling Fan Direction Summer Ceiling Fan Direction Winter Ceiling Fan Wiring Diagram 1 Ceiling Fan Wiring Diagram 2 Ceiling Fan Wiring Questions and Answers Ceiling Fans Wiring – Part 1 Ceiling Fans Wiring – Part 2 Introduction to Ceiling Fan Remote Controls Outdoor Ceiling Fan 1 Outdoor […]
Upgrading Old Electrical Wiring in a Home How to Upgrade Electrical Wiring in an Older Home: The best way to upgrade the electrical wiring is to start with the safety essentials, such as ensuring that the right grounding system is installed at the main electrical panel. Upgrading electrical wiring should begin with the main electrical panel because this is the foundation of the whole electrical system.
Lower Your Lighting Costs - 777
Home Energy Savings Projects
Home Energy Saving may result from installing many 120 volt devices such as energy efficient light fixtures, dimmer switches, occupancy sensor switches, etc..
Electrical Project Skill Level:
Beginner to Intermediate. Electrical Tools Required:
Basic Electricians Pouch Hand Tools, a non-aluminum ladder where required, and Voltage Tester. Estimated Time:
This will depend on the personal level experience, ability to work with tools and access to the device to be wired. Electrical Safety:
Identify any electrical circuit where work will be performed, turn the circuit OFF and Tag it with a Note before working with the wiring. Energy Savings Parts and Materials:
Electrical parts and materials for home wiring projects should be approved for the specific project and compliant with local and national electrical codes.
Electrical Codes and Inspections:
Installing additional home electrical wiring should be done according to local and national electrical codes with a permit and be inspected. Note:
Large 240 volt equipment may be replaced with energy efficient units in cooperation with rebate programs offered by your local electric utility company when available. This equipment should be installed by a certified of licensed contractor.
This is a testing tool that is a Non-contact tester that I use to easily Detect Voltage in Cables, Cords, Circuit Breakers, Lighting Fixtures, Switches, Outlets and Wires. Simply insert the end of the tester into an outlet, lamp socket, or hold the end of the tester against the wire you wish to test. Very handy and easy to use.
This is great to troubleshoot a problem with outlet circuit wiring, is also used by most inspectors to test for power and check the polarity of circuit wiring.
It detects probable improper wiring conditions in standard 110-125 VAC outlets
Provides 6 probable wiring conditions that are quick and easy to read for ultimate efficiency
Lights indicate if wiring is correct and indicator light chart is included
Tests standard 3-wire outlets UL Listed Light indicates if wiring is incorrect, Very handy and easy to use.
A wire stripping tool used to safely strip electrical wires.
This handy tool has multiple uses:
The wire gauges are shown on the side of the tool so you know which slot to use for stripping insulation.
The end of the tool can be used to grip and bend wire which is handy for attaching wire onto the screw terminals of switches and outlets.
I think your site offers the the clearest and best electrical information for homeowners I have ever seen on the net.You have given me confidence to do my own projects which I never had before. THANK YOU! Paul, from Foxboro, Massachusetts
I wish I found this site earlier, it is by far the best electrical related resource I have found on the web. George, from Scranton, Pennsylvania
I love this site for an office worker that does not know anything about electric wiring. Bill, from New York City, New York
This site is so much better than the 3 books I just bought, I wish I came here first. Collin, from Grand Rapids, Michigan
Thank you for answering my question.
I was able to get this done. This site is perfect. I am glad I found it. Please keep it going. Mike, from Chicago, Illinois