Lighting

Overview

• Turn off lights whenever you leave a room or don’t need them, even for just a few minutes.

• Turn off or turn down room lights and use area lighting that’s just right for the things you do most often.  For example, use a table lamp instead of an overhead light when reading at a desk.
• Make the most of natural daylight.  There is no better source of light than natural daylight.  You may need to rearrange some things to make the best use of daylight, but its well worth the change. Consider adding a skylight to bring more sunshine to dark areas.
• Use a nightlight to light hallways where you don’t need the full overhead light. 
• You can lower overall energy demand by concentrating bright light where you need it rather than evenly over the entire room – this is called ‘task lighting’.
• Decorate your home with illumination in mind – lighter colors reflect light, so use them in areas you want to be bright.
• Keep light fixtures clean – a cleaner bulb is a brighter bulb.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.  They cost more than regular light bulbs (starting at $2), but can use up to 75% less electricity and last years longer.  One compact fluorescent bulb can save you 20 times its cost in electricity.  See our section on CFL light bulbs for more information. ((link))
• For outside lighting, install a motion sensor that turns the lights on automatically when somebody walks by, and then turns off automatically after 1 – 5 minutes.
• Dimmer switches are not just a great way to set the mood; they’re an inexpensive way (starting at $5) to save energy. (Buy special dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs).
• Colour-code or mark light switches and circuit breakers that can be turned off when not needed.
• User fewer bulbs in multi-bulb fixtures.  Most users don’t realize that one strong bulb is more efficient than several weaker ones.  (ie: a single 100-watt bulb uses the same amount of energy as four 25-watt bulbs, but emits about twice as much light.)  And it uses less energy than two 60-watt bulbs, but yields approximately the same light.
• Use timers on interior and exterior lights.
• Use solar powered lights for outdoor lighting.