Join the Energy Efficiency Movement by Updating your Home's Lighting
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Net Zero homes are closer than you may think
These new homes are wonders to behold. But, even if you are not in the market for a new home, taking a tour could help spark ideas for that well-loved, carbon consuming home you live in now. A complete overhaul may not be on the list, but small, inspired ideas can lead to inspired results.
Contents at a Glance
Energy Efficient Lighting
Reducing your energy costs, one light bulb at a time
Huge strides in the lighting industry have recently made the switch from outdated tungsten incandescent light bulbs a practical and simple way to green your home.
Several options are available in the form of LED, CFL, fluorescent and even halogen that can greatly decrease the cost of lighting your home.
Different types of lights are considered more or less efficient, by the amount of energy needed to covert that radiation to the visible wavelength. Watts are the reading of that converted energy and are a main factor when selecting bulbs for different areas of your home. Most new types of lighting will have a watt comparison to a standard Edison light bulb for easy reference.
Lighting Survey
Many homeowners are surprised when they find out exactly how many lighting fixtures they have in their home. Walking through each room and taking an exact inventory of lamps, overheads, nightlights and other fixtures may reveal some startling facts about your energy consumption.
Once an accurate count is taken, consider the necessity of each light and it's cost return on your electric bill.
Now that you know how many lighting fixtures are in your home, how many of them host energy efficient light bulbs? Consider LED, halogen, CFLs and florescent.
If your percentages are high, you are already saving hundreds a year on your energy bill and know the value of energy efficient lighting. But, if less than 30 percent of the lighting in your home is from efficiency bulbs, please read on and discover the value of modern lighting.
LED
Light Emitting Diodes
The nature of LED lighting and the thin beam produced during the conversion from radiation to the visible light spectrum, gave this bulb a rough start in the home industry. Long-time use for indicator lights in electrical components has shown the cost-saving benefits of LED.A single LED bulb is 1 millimeter in diameter, but grouping several bulbs has proven to create enough light output for more practical uses, finally becoming an option in the home lighting industry.
Until recently, LEDs have been more expensive than their tungsten counterparts, but consumers who realize the long term cost effectiveness have continued to stand behind innovators as they stive for a more equitable and affordable product.
This Chandelier Candelabra base LED light is one practical way to implement this most cost efficient type of lighting in your home. Running on pennies a year, this is one light you won't have to worry about at night. Sylvania says:
Inefficient incandescent light bulbs are being phased-out in the United States, starting in 2012. 
American households spend about $160 a year in electricity for lighting.
and 74% have already tried an energy-saving bulb.
Troy Martz
CFL
Compact Fluorescent Light
CFL light bulbs are the same light as traditional fluorescent tubes usually used in kitchens, warehouses, office buildings or schools.Manufactures have harnessed the efficiency of fluorescent lighting for home use by coiling the long fragile tube into a smaller and more manageable bulb. However, the glass used for this type of bulb is still fragile, and when installing a CFL, use the plastic support ring to twist instead of the glass tube.
CFL ballasts come in several different sizes for many different uses. Therefore, when purchasing one make sure it is suitable for the fixture it needs to fit.
Until LEDs produce more comparable light to the traditional tungsten bulb, the CFL is the current leader of energy efficient bulbs. Several utility companies offer rebate and recycle incentive programs designed to encourage customers to make the switch.
These fun CFL light bulbs produce the equivalent light output to a 60 watt tungsten incandescent bulb.
- CFL Instant Rebate Program from PG&E
- This is just an example of what one utility company is offering it's customers. Be sure to check your local power company to see what programs they offer.
Halogen
Similar to tungsten in concept and design, Halogen light bulbs work through a heating of gases. Due to the nature of the halogen gas, these bulbs burn hotter and brighter than tungsten. The result is a longer lasting light bulb that can operate at a lower energy consumption.Halogen is a favorite for security lights because of the brighter light, but is also practical in the home as reading lights.
Due to the high temperatures of a halogen light, safety precautions should be taken into consideration when handling and replacing these bulbs.
Tungsten Incandescents
Edison's light bulb
The light bulb invented by Thomas Edison, the tungsten incandescent is the least efficient bulb on the market. Energy is converted to heat, which in turn produces light through an oxidization of the tungsten filament.Due to the soft, yellow light of the tungsten incandescent, many consumers are reluctant to make the switch to a more energy efficient bulb. However, as 2012 progresses, these consumers will find they have no choice but to start exploring alternative lighting options.
The Energy independence and Security Act of 2007 went into effect this year. It requires manufacturers to cease the production of high wattage tungsten bulbs in favor of lower wattage and more efficient lighting.
- Say Goodbye to the 135 Year Old Light Bulb
- Learn about the controversial new legislation that renders Edison's bulb obsolete.
If you have not already begun the process of upgrading your home's lighting, now is the time. Discovering what bulb is most efficient in each fixture can be a process, but one that will reap large rewards on your energy bill over the course of a year.
Online energy efficiency calculators can help determine what combination of LED, CFL and halogen bulbs will save you the most money in the short and long term. These tools are free to the energy customer due to government programs urging the public to use less power and drastically reduce their carbon footprints.
Net Zero homes are no longer a thing of science fiction movies, but until every home is retrofitted in such a way, we all have to reduce our drain on the power grid, even if it is one light bulb at a time.
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by tennisdiva619
Belinda Callin is a journalist by education and a greenie by choice. She has made it her mission to find the best information on the web related to gr... more »
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