Lighting Efficiency Information
Strategies to Implement
Governor's Executive Order on
Reduction of Outdoor Lighting
Lighting represents as much as 25 percent of your home's
electrical use, so it is a significant part of your
monthly utility bill.
Lighting affects the way you feel, work, and interact with
others. It helps you accomplish everyday tasks. How would
you manage without the light you use to read your paper,
the desk lamp your children use when doing their homework,
or the lighting you use to prepare your favorite meals.
Light gives us beauty as well as vision, and the quality is
often far more important to us than the quantity.
Efficient lighting is a science as well as an art. And yet,
most of us still use the incandescent bulb, which is
basically the same technology invented by Thomas Edison over
100 years ago. Since lighting represents as much as 25
percent of your home's electrical use, increasing your
lighting efficiency is one of the easiest and fastest ways
to lower your energy bills.
One easy way to reduce your electric bill without
sacrificing the quality of your home lighting is to replace
your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent
lights. Compact fluorescents come in a variety of sizes,
shapes, and wattages to fit most lamps and light fixtures.
The light they provide is a soft, warm color, similar to
incandescents, but they use up to 75% less energy, and
should last approximately 10,000 hours. That is about ten
times longer than a regular incandescent light bulb.
The original compact fluorescents, introduced quite some
time ago, had some drawbacks. But those shortcomings have
largely disappeared, and newer compact fluorescents are very
easy to live with.
When you purchase your first compact fluorescent bulb, you
may experience price shock, but don't let that scare you
away. It's true that these lights are more expensive than
incandescent bulbs, but they will last ten times longer!
The best place to use compact fluorescents is where
the lights burn an average of an hour or more a day.
Exterior lighting is one of the best places to make use of
energy efficient lights because of their long hours of use.
You can get everything
from low voltage lights to line your walkways and patio to
lights that are solar-powered and convert sunlight directly
into electricity, adding nothing to your utility bill!
The invention of incandescent light bulbs was an incredible
event, but considering what you spend each year to light
your home and yard, it is fortunate that you have more
choices now.
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BALLASTS
Fluorescent lights require ballasts to work. A ballast is
merely the device that regulates the electricity used by the
bulb. There are a couple of different types of ballasts you
can choose. Electronic ballasts virtually eliminate flicker,
operate quietly, and maximize energy efficiency. Magnetic
ballasts flicker 120 times every second, which may bother
some people.
When you replace fluorescent lights, it is important that
the light and ballast are compatible in voltage and current,
so be sure and match the right tubes
with your ballast. The hardware, home improvement or
lighting specialty store where you purchase your
lights should be able to advise you
on the proper tubes for your existing ballast. Be sure to
bring the old lamp with you, to look on the ballast
to find the appropriate reference numbers.
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Halogen Lights
Halogen lights were once considered the lighting of the
future. Although some halogens use up to 20 percent less
energy than incandescent lights and last anywhere from 2,000
to 6,000 hours, they are far less efficient than compact
fluorescents. In addition halogens burn hotter than other
lights, so keep them at least
six inches away from all flammable materials.
Popular halogen torchieres use bulbs in the 300-watt range.
New compact fluorescent torchieres use two 36-watt lamps
that provide 25 percent more light using one-fourth the
energy of the halogen torchiere. The new compact fluorescent
torchieres are also far safer than the halogen torchieres
because they do not operate at the same high temperatures.
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LIGHTING REPORTS
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Page Updated: July 22, 2002
