When it comes to eco-friendlylighting solutions for your home, you need to remember that less is more: The less energy you consume, the more money you’ll save! While you may need to make an investment up front, these five easy lighting swaps will improve your carbon footprint while cutting down on your electric bill.
Light Exchange
If you’re still using old school incandescent light bulbs in all of your fixtures, it’s high time for you to swap them out for more energy efficient CFL or LED light bulbs. CFL bulbs consume approximately a quarter of the energy of a traditional bulb, and most of them will last years longer — saving you money on electricity and the cost of more frequent bulb replacement. If you do decide to make the switch to CFLs, keep in mind that they contain mercury, so they can’t be thrown out with your regular trash. You may also discover you don’t like the “type” of light they emit. If these concern you, you may want to consider LED lights instead.
LEDs, or light emitting diodes, provide direction-specific lighting that is extremely efficient and bright. While a CFL light may last between 6,000 and 25,000 hours, an LED light can be expected to last between 40,000 and 80,000 hours – that’s practically a lifetime worth of light from a single bulb! LED light bulbs are new to the market, so they’re comparatively more expensive, but the investment can really pay off in the long run.
Set it in Motion
If you can never remember to turn off a light when you leave a room, installing and using motion-sensing light fixtures could significantly improve your carbon footprint. There are a number of different types of motion sensing lights, but in most cases you simply need to replace your standard light switch with one that detects motion. When you enter the room, the sensor will detect the motion and turn the light on. When the sensor has not detected motion for a certain period of time, the light will automatically turn back off.
Sunny Solutions
Lighting your walkway and garden at night can enhance evening ambiance and help guide guests around your property. Rather than using electricity to power garden lights, install solar lighting systems that harness the power of the sun. These systems look like traditional garden lights, but they have a solar panel that “collects” sunlight and when the sun goes down, the solar energy turns the lamp on.
Small Spaces
You may not want or need to use overhead lights in small spaces like closets, pantries or cabinets, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to use some sort of light. For a more energy efficient option, pick up a few LED stick-on lights that are battery powered. You can place them exactly where you want them, and turn them on and off with a simple tap. By using rechargeable batteries, you’ll have a practically permanent lighting solution for a minimal cost.
Eco-Friendly Fixtures
If you’re truly interested in going green, you’ll want to make sure you’re purchasing light fixtures that are eco-friendly. When buying lamps and fixtures, make sure you look for products that are “energy star” certified. These products typically use fluorescent lights that will last thousands of hours and the fixtures are frequently made of recycled or recyclable materials.
For the eco-friendly fanatic, consider purchasing Knoend Lite2go Lamps. The packaging the lamp comes in actually doubles as its shade, eliminating any packaging trash. It’s also versatile enough to be used as a pendant light or a table lamp. If that weren’t eco-friendly enough, it comes with a CFL light bulb and it’s made of recycled and recyclable materials.
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