How to Save Money on Electric Lighting Costs

There are many ways to save on the lighting portion of your utility bills. The first thought that comes to mind is simply turning off lights that are not in use. This is a great idea if you live alone but when there is more than one person in a household it usually does not work as well as you might like. Save your own energy by not chasing around after those that like the house to look like Las Vegas at midnight and try a few of these ideas.

CFL lighting:

CFL bulbs are one of the easiest ways to save on electric lighting costs. In most cases a 60 watt equivalent bulb will only use about 13 watts of power. A 75 watt bulb will use between 18 to 25 watts. CFL stands for Compact Fluorescent Light and these bulbs produce a whiter light than standard incandescent lights. They are however, available in a "warm" light style.

CFL bulbs have come a long way in the past year or so. They come in a larger variety of wattages, bulb sizes and functions. They are available for indoor and outdoor use. They really do last much longer than standard incandescent light bulbs. The prices for the bulbs has also come down significantly. One local building store recently had a four pack of 60 watt equivalent bulbs on sale for $1.05. This is less than the cost of most four packs of regular light bulbs. Many utility companies are subsidizing the costs of the bulbs to encourage people to convert to their use.

Replace as many regular light bulbs as you can with CFL bulbs. With the greater variety of wattages and sizes available you should be able to replace almost all bulbs in your home.

Solar:

Use solar lighting as much as possible for outdoor lighting. Solar fixtures have also gone down in price and are very easy to install. Solar light fixtures that do not have any wiring can be used almost anywhere. If the location you wish to use them in does not get a great deal of sunlight the fixtures are available with wiring so you can install the solar collecting panel in a good light area and place the light itself where you need it.

If you are really ambitious solar lighting can also be used inside your home but you will need to run wiring to an outside collector.

Timers and sensors:

Using light timers or motion and light sensing devices can also help you to save on your lighting costs. Install timers to turn lights on only when you need them. Outdoor lights should be on light and motion sensors unless you truly do need your lights on all night. You do not even have to replace your entire light fixture as sensing devices are available to be added to existing lights themselves.

You could also consider light and motion sensing devices for inside your home. Lighting up hallways or kitchens in the middle of the night would be easier and there will be no worries about forgetting to turn the lights back off. You might consider night light fixtures with sensors. Many times it is not really necessary to turn on a bathroom or hall light in the middle of the night. With a sensor night light your light can turn on and off automatically and save you from stumbling in the dark or forgetting to turn the light back off. Not all sensors are designed to work with CFL bulbs so check the information for the sensor before installing a CFL.

Holidays:

Lighting at the holidays can become expensive. Consider replacing your older holiday lights with new L.E.D. lighting. These lights do cost more initially but can save over a period of use and the light emitted is very decorative. You can also put your holiday lights on a timer system so they will be on during the period of time that they will be enjoyed most but not necessarily all night.

Even implementing one of these ideas can save you on your utility bills. The more steps that you can take, the more you can save and unless you must replace outdoor fixtures you can probably do all of the work yourself.

References:

http://www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions/index.html?cm_mmc=Thd_marketing-_-Eco_Options_Site_07-_-Vanity-_-Home
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls