Energy Saving Tips

Upgrading the lighting in your home to energy efficient lighting is one of the most inexpensive ways you can cut your energy costs.

Replace old-style incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents (CFLs). Compact fluorescents use four times less energy, and last eight times longer (8,000h instead of 1,000h) than incandescent light bulbs and can decrease the amount of energy used by up to 80%.

For example, a typical 75W incandescent bulb will be replaced by an 18W compact fluorescent. The compact fluorescent will be more expensive to buy, but you will need to replace it eight times less often and it will use less electricity, which often makes it the biggest electricity saver in your house.  At a minimum, we recommend replacing the bulbs in all lamps that are used for 30min/day or more.

Below are some other simple things you can do around the house to saving on your lighting energy costs:

• Turn off lights in areas not being used
• Use lamps where most light is needed, so less lighting is needed in the rest of the room
• Clean lamps and light fittings - over time, dirt build up reduces light output
• Install two-way switching for staircases, hallways and rooms with more than one door
• Open curtains in the morning rather than turning on the light
• Use light dimmers
• For security lighting, install time or motion lighting systems
• For outdoor lighting, install solar lights