Lighting: Making improvements to your lighting is one of the fastest ways to cut your energy bills. New lighting technologies can reduce lighting energy use in your home by 50% to 75%. Lighting controls offer more savings by reducing on time.
Indoor Lighting Tips
Look for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing lighting products. 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. Consider three-way lamps; keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not needed. Use 4-foot fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for your workroom, garage, and laundry areas. Consider using 4-watt minifluorescent, LED or electro-luminescent night lights. These lights are much more efficient than their incandescent counterparts. 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. Recessed downlights (also called recessed cans) are now available that are rated for contact with insulation (IC rated), are designed specifically for pin-based CFLs. 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, can produce more light (lumens), and do not get as hot as the halogen.