Lighting AEA, LLC.

Lighting: Inside and Out

Improving your homes lighting is a quick and easy way to cut your energy bills. On average about 11% of your electic bill is from indoor and outdoor lighting. New lighting technology can reduce the energy used to light your home by 50% to 75%.

Indoor Lighting

Indoor lighting makes up the majority of energy usage from lighting your home. Using linear fluorescent tubes and energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in your home's light fixtures provides high-quality and high efficiency lighting. They also last 6 to 12 times longer than standard light bulbs.

Indoor Lighting Tips

Be sure to buy ENERGY STAR® qualified CFLs.
- They will save you about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime.
- Producing about 75% less heat, they are safer to operate and can cut home cooling costs.
- Visit www.energystar.gov to find the right light bulbs for your fixtures. They are available in sizes and shapes to fit in almost any fixture.
- They provide the greatest savings in fixtures that are on for a long time each day. The best fixtures to use qualified CFLs in are usually found in your family and living rooms, kitchen, dining room, bedrooms, and outdoors.
Consider purchasing ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures. They are available in many styles including table, desk and floor lamps — and hard-wired options for front porches, dining rooms, bathroom vanity fixtures, and more.
ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures distribute light more efficiently and evenly than standard fixtures and they deliver convenient features such as dimming on some indoor models.
Controls such as timers and photo cells save electricity by turning lights off when not in use. Dimmers save electricity when used to lower light levels. Be sure to select products that are compatible with CFL bulbs; not all products work with CFLs.
When remodeling, look for recessed downlights, or "cans", that are rated for contact with insulation (IC rated).
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 do not get as hot as halogen torchieres.

Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting is generally used for decoration and security. There are many different options for outdoor lights, from low-voltage pathway lighting to motion-detector floodlights. LEDs (light emitting diodes) are great for outdoor lighting because they are durable and perform well in cold weather. Look for ENERGY Star LED products for outdoor use, you can find them in a variety of light styles like pathway lights, step lights, and porch lights.

Outdoor Lighting Tips

Because outdoor lights are usually left on a long time, using CFLs in these fixtures will save a lot of energy. Most bare spiral CFLs can be used in enclosed fixtures that protect them from the weather.
CFLs are also available as flood lights. These models have been tested to withstand the rain and snow so they can be used in exposed fixtures. Most though, cannot be used with motion detectors.
Look for ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures that are designed for outdoor use and come with features like automatic daylight shut-off and motion sensors.