When you’re looking to save energy and money, the easiest place to start is with your light bulbs. No, we don’t mean simply turning off the lights when you leave a room (though that does help), we’re talking about the type of bulbs you’re using to light your home. Did you know that lighting contributes to about 15% of an average home’s electricity use? Over time, that can add up to a lot of wasted energy and money. Keep reading for some tips and tricks to save money and energy with your light bulbs.
LEDs
As we’ve discussed earlier, LEDs are a great place to start when it comes to energy-efficient light bulbs. In addition to using up to 90% less energy than regular light bulbs, they also last up to 25 times longer. This is a win-win situation for you, especially if you need to get up on a ladder to replace burnt-out bulbs a couple of times a year. You can get LED bulbs in a wide range of wattages and colours, so making the transition over to LED bulbs is easy. Read more about the benefits of LED lighting here.
Solar Lights
A great option for outdoor lighting is solar lights, especially if you live in an area that gets a lot of sunlight during the day. Even on cloudy days like you’ll find quite frequently in Vancouver, solar lights can charge – just not to their maximum potential. Even better, you can find solar-powered LED lighting for your energy savings. Solar lights come in a variety of styles so your options are not limited if you’re concerned about your outdoor decor.
Timers, Motion Activated Lights, and More
Whether it’s for outdoor security, not wanting to come home to a dark house, or leaving a nightlight on for your child, we all like to have a light on when it’s dark out. Consider switching your regular lighting for some energy-efficient alternative.
Use motion-activated floodlights outside to switch on whenever they detect movement. This is also great if you’re sensitive to light filtering in through your curtains from an outdoor floodlight. You can also set the floodlights to motion-activated and control them from a switch inside your home. Turn it off during the day and back on before you go to bed for extra energy saving.
If you’re heading out for the day and know it’ll be dark before you return, putting your lights on a timer is a great way to save energy and not come back to an empty house. It’s especially helpful for any pets left at home that don’t have great night vision. You can use a traditional timer control or set something up with a Smart Home app. Simply set it up to turn on a lamp or two at a certain time and turn them off when you get in, it’s that easy.
Having little ones in your home often means keeping a nightlight on at night, whether in the hallway to help light the way to the bathroom or in a bedroom to keep monsters away. Nightlights have come a long way from the days of having to remember to switch them on and off and are now available with smart sensors to light up when it senses the room is dark. For hallway lighting, motion sensor nightlights are available to turn on as you enter the room and turn off after 20 seconds of no motion.
Make the Switch with Empower Electric
Ready to make the switch from regular lighting to LEDs and other energy-saving lighting options? If the task is more involved than simple lightbulb changes, give Empower Electric a call. We can perform industrial and commercial lighting upgrades, retrofit pot lights for LEDs, and change out incandescent lighting. Contact us today to get started!
