Ways To Save Energy With Lighting

Whether as a homeowner or business owner, we all look for ways to save money. One of the easiest and most often overlooked ways to save money is to reexamine the energy consumption of your lighting system. Here are 10 easy ways to save energy with lighting to see an impact on your bottom line.

1. Choose LED solutions to reduce wattages

One of the easiest ways to save energy with lighting is to reduce wattages. The wattages being consumed equal the electricity you are paying for every month. If you are pulling a lot of wattages to produce lighting, your bill will be higher. LED lighting offers a better lumen output to wattages consumed so switching to this lamp type can save you a lot of money in the run.

2. Don’t overdo it on lumens

When looking at lumens and wattages, there is a relationship obviously, but a lot of people tend to overdo it on the lumens. Just because you can get a high lumen output doesn’t mean you should. When you have a higher lumen output than you need, you will most likely use a higher wattage to achieve it which means a higher energy cost overall. Make sure you choose the right lumens for the size of the space instead of going for the brightest and most powerful option on the market.

3. Choose LED solutions for better lamp life

There are a lot of great reasons to choose LED solutions other than the low wattages mentioned above. LED lamps are longer lasting than others on the market due to the nature of the operation and the no to low heat aspect. This means LED lamps are changed less frequently due to total burn out. This can help save energy over time because some lamps drain energy when working at a diminished capacity, but LED will last for a long time and perform exceptionally well.

4. Install occupancy sensors

One of the best ways to save energy with lighting is to install sensors which help regulate usage as needed. Occupancy sensors will turn off the lights when no one is in the room which can help greatly reduce the energy costs.

5. Use as much natural light as possible

When a space has large windows or a skylight, you should definitely use that to your energy saving goal. The use of natural light is not only healthier than artificial lighting, it will save you some energy costs!

6. Check for rebates when switching lamps

Depending on the type of lamp you are disposing of, there may be rebates available from governmental agencies or even manufacturers when following the right steps to recycle. You always want to check this first to make sure you aren’t missing out on some extra money back.

7. Install timers

One of the most common mistakes of homeowners is leaving the porch lights on by accident as they rush out the door in the morning. When you install timers on the lights, you can make sure lights are only on at night as needed. This type of timer is ideal for more than porch lights. It can also be used in a range of business settings to make sure energy isn’t being used in a wasteful manner.

8. Maintain fixtures

When a fixture has issues or isn’t working at full capacity, it may pull more energy than it truly needs to compensate. It is important to maintain fixtures and clean them regularly to ensure there aren’t any issues you need to remedy.

9. Check for current leaks

The matter of lighting is about more than lamps and fixtures. If there is a problem with the wiring, you could end up with a leak. This leak can let out electricity and this will lead to energy being used that isn’t being utilized toward the lighting plan. A professional electrician can check for leaks or you can use a current detection device.

10. Use multiple switches to light areas

When you use one switch for all the lights, you are putting all of the energy in one spot. If you use multiple switches for multiple lights, this can lower energy when you only operate the lights you need rather than all of them at once.