Energy Efficient Lighting:

Lighting has an impact on the environment.

People are becoming more and more energy conscious for various reasons.

1. Energy usage requires the combustion of fossil fuels in power plants. Using energy conservation efficient lighting means less environmental pollutants will be created.
2. Electricity costs are rising every year. Energy consumption related to lighting affects our budgets at home and at work. The Department of Energy reports that we spend an average of 5-10% of out electricity bills on home lighting. This number can be as high as 25% in areas that use little air conditioning.

Ideas and information on energy efficient lighting.

Ways to save lighting energy:

1. Reducing the amount of time that lights are on.
   • Turning off all lights when they are not in use.
   • Educating the family on the importance of turning off lights.
2. Reducing the energy consumed by the lighting fixtures.
   • Lower the wattage of light bulbs.
   • Replace inefficient incandescent bulbs with halogen or compact fluorescent light bulbs.
   • Use Energy Star lighting and energy efficient lighting wherever possible.
   • Using lighting controls and lighting dimmers is important.
3. Using natural light, daylight, is a great way to supplement electric lighting.

A "lamp" is the term that the lighting industry uses to describe a light bulb. The choice of the lamp is an important factor in energy savings.

The three main categories of lamps:

1. Incandescent
2. Fluorescent
3. High Intensity Discharge

Incandescent Lamps

• Standard incandescent
• Tungsten halogen
• Reflector lamps

Standard Incandescent:

Known as an "A-type" light bulb, they are the least expensive, most common and most inefficient bulbs.

Tungsten Halogen:

Better energy efficiency than standard A-type bulbs. They provide a greater quantity of light and last longer, but are more expensive.

Reflector Lamps (Type BR) and Parabolic Aluminized Reflector Lamps (Type PAR)

Designed to light a specific degree spread and are mostly used in recessed downlights.

 

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Fluorescent Lamps

• Mainly used indoors for general/ambient lighting and task lighting.
• 3 to 4 times as efficient as incandescent lighting.
• Last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
• Put fluorescents in places where they will be on for long periods of time.

Compact Fluorescents

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) combine the efficiency of fluorescent lighting with the convenience and popularity of incandescent fixtures. They can replace incandescents approximately three to four times their wattage. The newer lamps are producing a more attractive color temperature for residential use. Although CFLs cost more, they last a lot longer. Energy savings and long life make compact fluorescent bulbs a great choice for residential use.

High Intensity Discharge

The longest life of any lamp. Commonly used for outdoor and street lighting. Residential lighting use is limited to outdoor lighting for driveways, backyards, etc...

 

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Lighting Controls and Dimmers:

Lighting controls are products that turn lights on and off or dim them. Useful controls for increasing lighting energy efficiency are light dimmers, photocells, and occupancy sensors.

• Dimmers reduce the wattage and output of incandescent and fluorescent lamps, while increasing the life of the bulbs.
• Photocells turn lights on and off in response to natural light levels.
• Occupancy sensors activate lights when a person is in the area and turn them off after the person leaves.

Daylighting

Daylighting means using natural sunlight for indoor, interior lighting.

The difficulty is using sunlight without causing glare and without overheating the home. Glare can be avoided by using window sills, walls,  and blinds. Try to locate windows and skylights away from the sun's direct rays to avoid overheating. For example, placing skylights on the north slope of your roof rather than on the southern exposure should reduce the amount of heat. Additionally, select new windows that spread the most visible light while excluding the most solar heat.

Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans directly effect electricity costs associated with heating and cooling of a home. Household electricity costs related to heating and cooling are about 35-45%. Ceiling fans can help cool homes in the summer and circulate heat in the winter.

Things we can do:

• Educate family members on the importance of energy conservation. 
• Appoint a "household energy monitor" to turn off lights and set the thermostat.
• Relamping - replace inefficient light bulbs with energy saving lamps.
• Install lighting dimmers in rooms where applicable.

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