Light your spaces
The right mix and strength of ambient and task lighting will result in the best illumination with lowest energy use.
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Q. After 20 years with the same lighting in our home, it’s time for a change. With so many types of light fixtures and bulbs to choose from, how do I select something practical, affordable and efficient?
A. We often take lighting for granted. We choose fixtures and bulbs without thinking through the specific lighting needs of a room, how fixtures work together and how to save money on energy bills.
Saving energy starts with choosing the correct bulb. Efficiency standards for incandescent bulbs between 40 and 100 watts, which came into effect in 2012, led to the halogen bulb (also known as an energy-efficient incandescent). These bulbs are at least 25 percent more efficient than the old incandescents. The other two common types of household bulbs, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs), are even more efficient.
Energystar.gov estimates you can save $75 a year by replacing your five most-used incandescent bulbs or light fixtures with Energy Star-certified LED or CFL lighting. Of the three types, LEDs tend to save more money over the long run, and LED prices have decreased in recent years. A downside of CFLs is that they contain a small amount of toxic mercury that can be released into your home if one breaks.
When you’re considering which type of bulb to buy, look at both watts and lumens. Watts indicate how much energy is used (and, therefore, how much it costs) to produce light. Lumens indicate how much light the bulb produces. An 800-lumen bulb is about equal to the amount of light from a traditional 60-watt incandescent bulb. Lumennow.org offers an excellent guide to understanding bulbs.
Bulbs also give off different colors of light, known as color temperature. If a bulb burns out—or, in the case of an LED, as it dims over time—it can be challenging to find a replacement that matches other lights in the room. If the variation bothers you, purchase and install bulbs of the same brand and wattage for an entire room at the same time.
Installing dimmer switches is a good way to save energy while giving you greater control of the amount of light in the room. Not all bulbs are dimmable, so check the label on the bulb. It’s worth hiring a licensed electrician if you decide to install new lighting and switches.
Now, let’s consider fixtures. Different types of fixtures have different func-tions. Ambient lights, such as sconces and glass-covered fixtures, provide gentler, overall lighting, while direc-tional fixtures, such as pendants, desk lamps and track lighting, provide task lighting that focuses on areas where work is done. Each has its own bulb requirements.
Choose a light fixture that can provide the brightness you need, fitted with the appropriate size and number of bulbs. It can be disappointing to install a ceiling fixture you love, only to realize it doesn’t provide enough light for the room, or that your room is flooded with too much light, wasting energy and money. Don’t mix bulb types in a fixture; excess heat from an incandescent or a halogen light can diminish the performance of an LED.
The Lighting Research Center features a “Lighting Patterns for Homes” guide (lrc.rpi.edu/patternbook) with sample lighting layouts for different rooms in the home. With a little planning, you can have a well-lit energy efficient home you’ll enjoy for years to come.
Send questions to Energy Q&A, South Carolina Living, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce, SC 29033, email energyqa@scliving.coop or fax (803) 739-3041.