California's current energy crisis has made
conserving electricity a hot topic nationwide.
No wonder. The energy emergency is not just
a California phenomenon. The North American
Electric Reliability Council (NERC) predicts
New England, New York City and Texas could
experience electricity shortages as well.
The result? Double-digit price increases for
most of the nation and higher
than expected demand for electricity.
Fortunately, homeowners can slice their
electric bill without being left
in the dark. "Today, lighting technology
permits you to enjoy a comfortable,
pleasing and elegant lifestyle without wasting
precious natural resources,"
says Dan Blitzer, consulting technical lighting
expert for the American Lighting Association
(ALA), a non-profit organization of leading
manufacturers, retail lighting showrooms and
sales representatives in the U.S. and Canada
dedicated to expanding public knowledge about
lighting.
"Energy conservation is not simply
a pocketbook issue," adds Blitzer.
"It's socially responsible to not use
more than your share."
According to the American Lighting Association,
lights account for 25% of
a homeowner's electric bill. "There are
a lot of other energy guzzlers in the
house besides lighting," says Monty Gilbertson,
CLC, manager and buyer for
Lighting Design by Wettsteins in Lacrosse,
WI. "But everyone thinks of
lighting first because that what you see."
In addition to trimming your lighting bill,
Gilbertson suggests checking
the energy efficiency of other appliances
as well. "Put your electric water
heater on timer," he says. "Look
at your washer and dryer, freezer,
refrigerator, heat pump. All these compressor-driven
devices push the
electric bill up."
Your home itself can also run up the bill.
"Older homes built prior to
1990 are not near as energy efficient as newer
models," says Linda Pavletich,
owner of Premier Lighting, in Bakersfield,
CA.
In addition to simply turning off lights
when not using them, the ALA
offers the following suggestions:
CONSIDER FLUORESCENTS
Consumers can cut costs quickly by switching
from incandescent bulbs or
fixtures to compact fluorescents.
"This is a good idea for lights in
closets, workrooms, home offices, kid's
rooms, security area, kitchens," says
Blitzer. "Plus it's very easy to
replace a bulb or even a fixture that is not
fluorescent compatible -- it
doesn't require electrical rework of wires."
While incandescent bulbs are inexpensive
to buy, they consume more energy than any
other type of bulb and have a relatively short
life, making
operating costs high. Fluorescent lighting
is now available in over 200
colors, ranging from the warm white tones
of incandescent light to cool white
tones similar to daylight. Energy-efficient
fluorescents use one-fifth to
one-third the electricity of a comparably
bright incandescent bulb and last
10-20 times longer.
The dollar saved amount depends on how long
a light operates. According to Blitzer, if
you operate a security light from dusk to
dawn or 4,000
hours/year and replace the 100 watt incandescent
light bulb with a 32 watt
compact fluorescent lamp the savings is about
$26/year per fixture.
"If I operate a 100 watt incandescent
bulb 12 hours/day, on average, that
bulb will have to be replaced six times/year,"
he says. "Fluorescents usually
last 2.5 years, so you also save time and
inconvenience of not having to
change bulbs, particularly if they are in
hard-to-reach places."
Pavletich decided to experiment in her own
home. She added frosted glass globes to her
outside fixtures and switched to fluorescent
bulbs.
"I watched my electric bill for four
months and averaged a savings of
$20/month," she says. "Visually,
there was no difference in the light
quality."
Pavletich agrees that time is money, too.
"Consider what it "costs" to
change those bulbs," she says. "You
have to buy them, go outside, get a
ladder, put them in the fixture. I was changing
incandescent bulbs four times
a year. Those fluorescents have been in place
for two years so far!"
SWITCH YOUR SWITCHES
Dimmers allow you to reduce lighting when
you don't need it, which saves
both energy and light bulbs. Occupancy sensors
turn lights off after you
leave the room or shut the closet door --
even if you forget.
"It's easy to replace regular light
switches with dimmers or occupancy
sensor switches," says Blitzer. "These
cost more than standard switches to
buy, but there is no difference in cost of
installation."
Gilbertson is also a fan of dimmer switches.
"These are often overlooked,
but will save energy," he says. "If
you reduce your voltage 10% on a dimmer,
you will double the bulb life and save energy
and money.
"I have customers who are always burning
out bulbs," adds the lighting
expert. "The three nemesis of bulbs --
voltage fluctuation, vibration and
heat build-up -- create wear and tear on light
bulbs. But you can protect
against all three with a dimmer control. I
have 14 dimmer controls in my own
house and my electric bill is moderate now."
To dim fluorescents, use a special dimming
ballast, as well as a dimmer
that is compatible with fluorescents.
MOVE TO MOTION DETECTORS
Motion detectors offer another bright idea
for snipping the electric bill.
"These are great for outside lighting,"
says Gilbertson. "You have security,
but the light shuts off when not needed."
LIGHT IN LAYERS
Those lighting new homes for the first time
might consider a less is more
approach. "Think of lighting in layers,"
says Blitzer. "Start with the spots
where lights are most important -- where tasks
are performed, like reading.
Don't accent everything in the living room,
just the important stuff. This
allows a thinning of lights without the house
looking dark and will save
energy."
ADD CEILING FANS
"Ceiling fans are a great way to conserve
electricity year-round," says John Pearson,
Vice President, Marketing, of Casablanca Fans
in Pomona, CA. "They are economical and
energy efficient, utilizing about the same
energy as a 100 watt light bulb."
Ceiling fans don't actually lower the temperature
of a room like an air
conditioner. But by spinning the air, they
create a wind chill effect that
makes you feel up to eight degrees cooler.
According to Pearson, running a ceiling
fan costs about one cent per hour,
or pennies/day, vs. the several dollars/day
to run an air conditioner. Fans can be used
alone or in conjunction with an air conditioner.
"When used with an air conditioner, the
thermostat setting can then be raised, resulting
in reduced cooling costs of 40% or more,"
says Pearson.
Simply raising a thermostat setting two degrees
will save about 14% on
energy consumption. Studies show that setting
ceiling fans to spin in a
counter-clockwise pattern, will save as much
as 40% off summer cooling bills
-- without sweltering. Simply set the thermostat
a few degrees higher and
flip on the fan.
In the winter, ceiling fans move warm air
back to the center of the room,
pushing it down from the ceiling and helping
homeowners save as much as 10%
on their heating bills. Simply switch the
direction of the blades to spin
clockwise and turn on the fan.
GET EXPERT ADVICE BY CALLING TO OUR MAIN OFFICE IN PHOENIX, AZ.