Saving energy with lighting

 

The electricity consumed by light bulbs adds up - really. Although a light bulb may not use much electricity, quite a few are used in a typical house and they can be switched on for long periods. Taken together, the power can add up to a sizeable proportion of your electricity bill. We were amazed to discover how much electricity we have saved just by using a combination of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).

 

• Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are much more energy efficient than the traditional filament-type bulbs. For the same light output, they only use about a fifth of the electricity. Don't get put off by the fact that they contain small amounts of mercury. The energy you save far outweighs the disadvantages of the mercury. In fact, a filament bulb can release more mercury into the environment via the chimneys at a coal fired power station. These bulbs have a long life: when they finally do give up, simply ask how to dispose of them at your local dump.  CFLs come in various ‘shades’ of white - usually the warmer whites look better in a home environment, although the cooler whites can work well in working areas. Be careful to pick the right white when shopping.

 

• Light Emitting Diodes are a comparatively new technology. They are very efficient, and are great at providing directional light. We put these in ceiling downlighters (they screwed right in, like a normal bulb) and they use even less electricity than compact fluorescents (CFLs). We tracked down warm white LEDs, which give a better quality of light than the bluish-white light that many LEDs produce. LEDs are still quite expensive ($35 per bulb, or even more), but they last for 50,000 hours. Compared with a conventional bulb, they can recover many times their original cost in energy savings.  LEDs also work well in cold locations, where CFLs can struggle (for instance, over the front porch).

 

• Remember dark-sky-friendly light fittings for outside. From our house in Maine, we can see the Milky Way. Bright, star-lit nights are a big draw for visitors to this state. However, badly placed security lights can shine straight up into the sky, ruining the night sky over a wide area for those who wish to enjoy it. In many parts of the US the night sky is no longer visible, except for a few of the brightest stars.  This may not sound like a big deal, but it is part of our heritage, and it could be lost forever.
  
  A simple solution is to buy external lights that only shine downwards. This also makes economic sense, because light that shines up into the sky is wasted energy that you have to pay for.  Fixtures that only shine downwards can provide the same amount of illumination, with less glare, using a smaller bulb. We got our external light fittings from Starry Night Lights

 

These fixtures light up our front entrance porch and decks, without shining any direct light upwards.

 

For more information about dark skies, take a look at the Island Astronomy Institute’s site.

 

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Warm white LED downlighters.