Lighting and Energy Conservation

Indoor Lighting Tips

• Turn off the lights in any room you are not using and 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 bright 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, and the luminescent lights are cool to the touch.

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFL)

• These compact fluorescent bulbs are four times more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs and provide the same lighting. Use CFLs in all the portable table and floor lamps in your home. Carefully consider the size and fit of these systems when you select them. Some home fixtures may not accommodate some of the larger CFLs. Check manufacturer’s specifications on compact fluorescent bulbs to be placed in enclosed fixtures. Some may heat up and burn our prematurely. Also, many CLF are not recommended for use in fixtures connected to a light dimmer. Always check manufacturer’s specifications for special uses of CFL.
• All fluorescent lamps, tubes and CFL’s alike, contain mercury and should not be thrown in the trash.  In fact,  some states consider them hazardous waste and require they are recycled.  Never throw fluorescent tubes or CFL’s in the trash.  Instead use our locator and find the local recycling center that accepts them.
• 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 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.