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Increasing your lighting efficiency is one of the fastest ways
to decrease your energy bills. If you replace 25% of your
lights in high-use areas with fluorescents, you can save about
50% of your lighting energy bill.
Indoor Lighting
Use linear fluorescent and energy-efficient compact fluorescent
lamps (CFLs) in fixtures throughout your home to provide
high-quality and high-efficiency lighting. Fluorescent lamps
are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs and last 6 to
10 times longer. Although fluorescent and compact fluorescent
lamps are more expensive than incandescent bulbs, they pay for
themselves by saving energy over their lifetime. Look for
the
ENERGY STARŪ label when purchasing these products.
Indoor Lighting Tips
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Compact fluorescent bulbs are four times more energy efficient
than incandescent bulbs and provide the same lighting.
- 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.
- When shopping for new light fixtures, consider buying
dedicated compact fluorescent fixtures with built-in
ballasts that use pin-based replacement bulbs.
- For spot lighting, consider CFLs with reflectors. The
lamps range in wattage from 13-watt to 32-watt and
provide a very directed light using a reflector and
lens system.
- 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 torchiere fixtures with halogen lamps,
consider replacing them with compact fluorescent
torchieres. Compact fluorescent torchieres use 60% to
80% less energy and can produce more light (lumens)
than the halogen torchieres.
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
high-pressure sodium floodlights. Many lights can be
controlled with motion detectors, so they only turn on when
they are needed. 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 timer so
they will turn off during the day.
- Turn off decorative outdoor gas lamps; just eight gas
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.
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