Posted: February 1, 2017 at 10:39 p.m.
1 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 5 ways to save energy with smarter lighting choices:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Use dimmers. They’re not just for mood lighting; they’re for energy savings, too. Most dimmers conserve energy.
- 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.