Posted by Savneet Singh on Nov.17, 2009

©iStockphoto.com - Raffaelo

Lighting uses up to a quarter of a home’s electricity. The standard for interior residential lighting since the time of Thomas Edison has been the incandescent bulb, in which  the tungsten filament glows when electrical current passes through it and it becomes hot. In reality, an incandescent bulb is a heating appliance that gives off light as a by-product, with only about 10% of the energy used to produce light. The bulbs are so wasteful of energy that a number of efforts are under way worldwide to ban them. We need to adopt a variety of alternatives that use less power and last longer.

Compact Fluorescent

Compact fluorescent or CFL, are not new. They have taken a long time to get into people’s homes. Initially, they used the same gasses found inside older florescent tube but the cold, blue-white light they gave off was off-putting to most people. But now CFL gives off light that comes in many colors called color temperatures. There are a number of advantages of CFL. They use 75 percent less energy, last six times longer, generate less heat, and reduce energy cost associated with cooling. Newer CFLs use much less mercury than in the first models.

Light Emitting Diodes

Even more efficient than the CFL are light emitting diodes, or LEDs which are now available for a variety of household applications. They use 90% less energy than equivalent incandescent bulbs, which is even less than CFL. They last 100,000 hours before failing and don’t contain mercury or other hazardous materials. They have been used for years. in commercial and industrial lighting exit signs and spotlights. They are however more expensive than even the incandescent bulb and CFL. Like so many other energy efficient and green products residential LED bulbs and fixtures will get less expensive as demand rises.

Save Energy through Better Lighting Design

A light plan for a green house should accommodate residents. First of all, try to figure out what kind of lights you need and when. If the house is well designed, natural light is going to be the first choice for daytime use. Careful placement of windows, with south being the best choice, can make any room more inviting. Using high windows or fixed glass panes over operable windows allow light to penetrate deep into the house. The best design of the house places windows such that every room in the house is day lighted and no energy is needed until the sun goes down.

Keep in mind that lighting that washes walls or ceiling with softer light is more comfortable. Table lamps are always an improvement over ceiling lights.

Lighting Only Where You Need

Adjusting the levels of lights to match needs saves energy and makes a room more comfortable. Dimmers really do save energy, though you may need to find dimmers compatible with LEDs or CFL bulbs. A light over kitchen table can be turned all the way up when the kids are doing homework and turned down to a soft glow when they are in bed at night. Bathrooms may need bright lights for applying make-up but only dim at nights. If the garage is full of fluorescent fixtures, using several switches instead of one allows you to get just the light you need, lighting up just one corner for a work bench or the whole garage for other projects.

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Posted under Home Environment, Living.