Lighting the Future

Lighting efficiency tips

Lighting accounts for up to 10% of the energy used in most homes, and from 35% to 40% of the energy used in most businesses. Efficient bulbs and fixtures combined with common-sense usage can cut energy costs and make your living and work environment more comfortable.

The following usage tips can help lower operating costs, improve productivity and extend lamp life while lessening the impact on the environment.

  • Pick the right lamp for the right job. Also consider the spread and direction of the light. The amount of light you need for a task depends on the task at hand.
  • Use task lighting such as lamps for reading, crafts or studying. Use overhead lighting to light large areas.
  • If you plan to leave a room for longer than five minutes, turn off the light.
  • Install compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) wherever lights shine continuously or for long periods of time, such as stairways and hallways.
  • CFLs provide maximum light at temperatures of 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Higher temperatures reduce light output from 10 to 20 percent; lower temperatures have an even more dramatic effect.
  • Protect CFLs used outside with an enclosed fixture.
  • Make sure recessed fixtures have an internal reflector before installing your fluorescent lamp, or purchase a lamp with an attached reflector.
  • CFLs may not fit fixtures designed for incandescent lamps, and they cannot be dimmed.
  • Tungsten halogen lamps may be better suited to some outdoor applications. They're less expensive than CFLs, burn 3.5 times longer than incandescents and produce a whiter light that can be dimmed.