By My kids cannot be trained to turn off the lights when they leave a room. I yell. I plead. I even explain that lighting is the third biggest energy user in a home, after heating/cooling and hot water, representing about 11 percent of a home’s energy costs.
High-efficiency bulbs, like this eco-friendly LED flood light, can produce far more light per watt than their incandescent counterparts.
Nothing has worked—except for installing dimmer switches, occupancy sensors in some areas and replacing inefficient incandescent lights with much more efficient CFLs and LEDs. Now even when they leave lights on, they’re not wasting as much energy—or as much of my money.Don’t be intimidated by installing a dimmer switch or occupancy sensor. Anyone who can operate a screwdriver can perform these quick and easy fixes.
1. Buy LEDs and CFLs
Compact fluorescent lights are four times more efficient than those old incandescent bulbs—and newer LED (light emitting diode) lamps are up to 90 percent more efficient and should last for many years.
If you like the “soft white” glow of an incandescent bulb, seek LEDs and CFLs in the 2700 to 3000K (Kelvin) range. You’ll pay more for good LED lamps ($20 to $50), but they should last 10 to 20 years—and because of their efficiency they are cheaper to use over the long haul. Check the light output of LED lamps, however. You won’t want to read under a 9-watt LED that throws only 400 lumens (brightness). Look for lamps that produce 800 lumens to replace a typical 60-watt incandescent.
2. Dim Those Lights
Still like those incandescent bulbs or halogen lamps? You can save some bucks by dimming them, via inexpensive dimming modules you can buy at your local hardware store and install in a few minutes. Dim a light to just 90 percent of its total output, and you’ll save about 10 percent on powering it—in addition to prolonging its life. And dimming to 80 percent or 90 percent is hardly noticeable. Just be sure to turn off the power when you’re installing dimmer switches. Many LEDs and some more expensive CFLs can be dimmed as well, but check this before buying.
A dimmer switch like this one can cut your energy usage and increase the lifespan of your light bulbs, and you might not even notice the change in light output.
3. Add Occupancy Sensors
If your kids are like mine, the answer is occupancy or vacancy sensors ($20 and more) that replace standard light switches and detect when rooms are unoccupied after a certain amounts of time. (You can usually program how long before a light turns off.) These are great to use in kids’ rooms, hallways and bathrooms at night. They’re also quite useful in basements, attics and garages where a light can be left on for hours or days.
A vacancy sensor helps prevent lights from accidentally being left on when no one is in the room.
Who makes this light bulb?
Hey Steve – how about teaching the kids to turn lights off so they do it in places where the lights aren't so smart?? My kids had to stand with their little fingers on the switch for 5 minutes when they left lights on – they learned very quickly that they didn't want to do that again!! Good suggestions for new products here, but teaching conscientious use is still MOST important in our continuing efforts to reduce waste!
Hi Steve, I just wanted to make sure that everyone knows that the CFL bulb contains MERCURY, and should not be thrown in the trash. There is a great video at consumer reports for disposing of a broken bulb, like, opening windows and evacuating your home for 15 minutes, not using your vacuum cleaner or broom to sweep up the glass and mercury. Using gloves and double bagging in freezer bags and disposing of the bulb at the nearest recycle station (Lowes, Home Depot). It worries me that there is such a push for CFL instead of LED, and I have nightmares of the millions of bulbs that will end up in landfills and contaminating our earth for our children and grandchildren… just one of my many environmental pet peeves….
Thanks for the info, I had no idea. I am sure that there are alot of people out there just like me.not in the know.
opposite problem witht lights, Installed new fixture in kitchen takes two bulbs to replace old tube style florecent light, beautifulhanging pot rack with light but???????? Even using the larges of the new energy efficiant bulbs it doesn't light up the kitchen. I have other light sources in kitchen but even if I turnon all five other lights in room I have dim kitchen, wha tis wrong withthese ennergy efficiant bulbs that they don't spread large area white light?
I notices this too, and realized what the lumens are that they are lit at that level of light "itself", BUT the "throw" power of that lumen is usually not far and only a few feet within itself (CFL). I have yet to find a replacement for standard incandescent bulbs in my kitchen b/c of this "throwing of light/lit lumens" far enough. Also, the LED gives off to much "heat" for me to want to light my HOT kitchen where my thermostat is, as it'll just kick on my air conditioner when it's already cold everywhere in the house.
Another benefit to the LED is that fact that it doesn't get hot like the incandescent lights. Our company sells /installs foam crown molding and we are able to back-light and illuminate the moldings without any fear of melting, fire, smoke etc…
Another issue I have with being forced to move to CFL's and LED's as apposed to incandescent is that it is nearly impossible to find bulbs made in the USA.
Where can these bulbs be purchased. It is nice to write about them but it falls short of more information.
Aaron,
You can buy both CFLs and LEDs at big-box hardware stores and many online sites. Be sure to follow clean-up procedures for CFLs that break, as they contain mercury. These guidelines are available at http://www.energystar.gov/ia/products/lighting/cf…
Also be sure LEDs have enough lumens. If you are replacing a 60-watt bulb and want to read or use for task lighting, look for LEDs that throw 800 to 850 lumens (a measure of brightness). Otherwise you may be disappointed. I also suggest sticking to well-known brand names like Philips, GE and Osram Sylvania. Cooper, Juno and Solais make high-quality LED fixtures. And Cree is highly regarded for its LED lamps, fixtures and components. Beware of the glut of cheap LED lamps on the market and the Internet, as they may not perform well or last long.
Steve Castle
You can purchase LED's through LED Source.
They carry the best brands in the world.