One of the easiest ways to save money on your electric bill—and do your part for the environment—is to be smarter about the lighting in your house.
Here are five ways to save energy with smarter lighting choices:
1. Identify the rooms where your family spends the most time. Replace the light fixtures—overhead, under-counter and tabletop—with LED fixtures. They can last up to 50 times longer than a lamp or overhead fixture that takes an old-fashioned incandescent lightbulb.
2. Buy lighting products that carry a warranty of at least two years. That goes for LED fixtures, ceiling fans with built-in lights and other products.
3. Install ceiling fans. Choose a combo unit that includes a fan and a light, and have an electrician install it. Ceiling fans move the air around and make rooms feel cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
4. Use dimmers. They’re not just for mood lighting; they’re for energy savings, too. Most dimmers conserve energy.
5. This one’s not new: Turn the lights off when you leave a room. Train your family to do the same. Impossible? Install motion-sensing lights or add a timer to your lights so they turn off automatically when nobody’s using the room.
