Lighting: bright ideas for cutting energy costs

Do you hear your mother’s voice telling you to “turn off the lights” every time you leave a room?

It turns out that Mama indeed knows best when it comes to cutting energy usage. In fact, lighting accounts for up to 10 percent of your home’s monthly electric bill ($20 of a $200 bill), and it is one of the simplest, lowest-cost ways to reduce your usage.

Studies show that half of all energy from lighting is wasted due to using bulbs with wattages that are too high and by leaving lights on too long. One 100-watt incandescent bulb left on all the time can cost up to $25 a year.

We also encourage you to break your old habits and switch from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) – the new “curly” light bulbs. CFLs provide the same amount of light as standard incandescent bulbs while using fewer watts of energy. The EPA estimates that a typical household would save $80 each year by switching to CFLs throughout the house.

CFLs also last 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs and are typically guaranteed for 10,000 hours (compared with 500 to 1,000 hours for incandescent bulbs). Their longer-rated life means you replace them less frequently, making them convenient for use in hard-to-reach and high-use fixtures.

CFLs produce about 70 percent less heat than conventional bulbs, so they’re safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling.

Don’t let sticker shock keep you from buying CFLs. They use less energy, last longer and, because of their increasing popularity and availability, prices are falling.

Here are a few more bright ideas to help lower your lighting costs:

• Turn your lights out when you leave a room or when you’re not using them.
• Make sure you use the recommended wattage for the fixture. Most fixtures have the recommended wattages printed directly on them.
• Consider installing timers or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
• Switch from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Not only do they use significantly less energy and last 10 times longer than traditional bulbs, they also produce less heat, helping you decrease summer cooling costs.
• Keep bulbs clean. Dust can cut light output by as much as 25 percent.
• Use task lighting. Instead of brightly lighting an entire room, concentrate the light where you need it and reduce background light levels.
• Use the right light for the job. Use smaller lamps over work areas such as desktops so work can be done without lighting the whole room.
• Put lamps in corners of rooms where they can reflect light from two wall surfaces instead of one.
• Let the sun shine in. Take advantage of sunlight on mild days by opening drapes and blinds to use natural lighting.
• Decorate with lighter colors that reflect daylight.
• Consider three-way lamps. They make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light isn’t necessary.
• Use fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for your workroom, garage and laundry areas.
• Use dimmable bulbs when possible.
• Install photoelectric controls or timers to make sure outdoor lighting is turned off during the day.