When it comes to consuming energy, the world's highest per-person carbon emissions rates are often traced back to that little place you call home. And lighting is responsible for 20% of this total, reflected every month on your electric bill. The good news is you can control the impact lighting has on your electricity usage and decrease overall energy consumption – quickly and affordably.
Light bulbs have come a long way since Thomas Edison invented the first commercially viable incandescent electric light bulb in 1879. Today, this rapidly evolving technology produces light in a way Edison couldn't have imagined. Light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs have significantly improved the quality and energy efficiency of existing lighting technologies, including compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and incandescent bulbs.
Lighting facts and stats
- Incandescent bulbs aren't energy efficient because only 5–10% of electrical power supplied to the bulb is converted into visible light
- Modern CFL bulbs use about 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last about ten times longer
- If all lighting were converted to LED, energy consumption would be reduced from 20% to 4%
- The average monthly cost of a 12-watt LED is about 11 cents a month versus 68 cents a month for a standard 75-watt incandescent bulb
Reasons to switch to ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs
Like any other product, not all LEDs are created equal. ENERGY STAR qualified LED bulbs must meet strict efficiency, quality, and lifetime criteria, including:
- Brightness equal to or greater than existing lighting technologies, with light well distributed over the area lighted by the fixture
- Light output that remains constant over time; only decreasing towards the end of the rated lifetime (at least 35,000 hours or 12 years based on use of 8 hours per day)
- Excellent color quality, with the shade of white light appears clear and consistent over time
- Efficiency as good as or better than fluorescent lighting
- Light that appears instantly when turned on
- No flicker when dimmed
- A fixture that doesn't use power when turned off, except for external controls; and energy not to exceed 0.5 watts in its off state
Replacing your home's five most frequently used light fixtures or bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs can save $45 every year. ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs:
- Reduce energy costs, using up to 90% less energy than incandescent lighting
- Decrease maintenance costs because bulbs last 35 to 50 times longer than incandescent lighting and about 2 to 5 times longer than fluorescent lighting
- Reduce cooling costs because LEDs produce very little heat
- Come with a guaranteed minimum 3-year warranty, far exceeding the industry standard
- Offer convenient features such as dimming on select indoor models and automatic daylight shut-off and motion sensors on some outdoor models
- Provide durability – since they don't contain delicate filaments of glass, LEDs can withstand light impact without breaking
How to reduce your electric bill
Here are additional ways to reduce your electric bill and carbon imprint:
- Turn off lights when they're not in use
- Keep bulbs and lenses clean because dust can decrease light output by as much as 25%
- Choose bulbs with wattage that matches the purpose of the room and the atmosphere you wish to create
- Install multiple switches to cover different areas in large open spaces
- Install dimmers to reduce the amount of electricity a fixture uses
- Illuminate outdoor walkways with solar lamps fitted with batteries that store energy from the sun
- Let the sun in by opening blinds and installing skylights in darker rooms
- If your bathroom vanity has round incandescent bulbs, maximize energy savings by switching to LEDs
To read about other simple ways to conserve energy, download the Avista Energy Guide.