Lighting

Some bright ideas for lighting your home more efficiently.

TIP: Turn off lights whenever you leave a room or don’t need them, even for just a few minutes.

Tips
You can lower overall energy demand by concentrating bright light where you need it rather than evenly lighting the entire room – this is called ‘task lighting’.

Opening your blinds is a free way to brighten up a room.

For any light that must be on all night (e.g. stairways), replace the bulbs with the lowest wattage bulbs that you’re comfortable with or consider a compact fluorescent or a nightlight.

Decorate your home with illumination in mind – lighter colours reflect light, so use them in areas you want to be bright.

Keep light fixtures clean – a cleaner bulb is a brighter bulb.

Energy Facts
Contrary to popular belief, less energy is consumed when lights are turned on and off as you come and go than if a light is left on all the time.

SPEND A LITTLE, SAVE MORE
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. They cost more than regular light bulbs (starting at $5), but can use 75% less electricity and last years longer. One compact fluorescent bulb can save you three times its cost in electricity.

For outside lighting, install a motion sensor that turns the lights on automatically when somebody walks by, then turns the lights off automatically after 1 to 5 minutes.

Dimmer switches are not just a great way to set the mood, they’re an inexpensive way (starting at $10) to save energy. (Don’t use with compact fluorescent bulbs.)