Your Home, Your Lighting, Your Savings
Common Lighting Applications
Types of Lighting Sources
Energy Efficient Lighting
Light Buying Guide

Your Home, Your Lighting, Your Savings
Lighting represents up to 15 percent of your home energy use. Did you know you can achieve energy savings of up to 75 percent on your lighting, without compromising the look and feel of your home? This section will help you understand more about home lighting and the options available to help you save energy and money.

To get the most out of your home lighting, it helps to have some general knowledge about the types of lighting methods and applications you are likely to find in your home.

Common Lighting Applications
Home lighting use can generally be divided into three major categories:

• Ambient/general lighting provides wide spread illumination and is often the primary source of light in a room. Examples include ceiling fixtures and floor lamps.
• Task lighting provides focused light for work and other detailed activities, like cooking or reading. Examples include recessed “down-lighting,” and table lamps.
• Accent lighting highlights objects such as works of art or design elements to create visual interest. Examples include track lighting and wall sconces.

Types of Lighting Sources
Incandescent has been the most common type of light bulb for home lighting. Incandescent bulbs are simple, inexpensive, versatile, but are also highly inefficient compared with newer technologies. Since incandescent bulbs create light through electrical resistance, about 90 percent of the energy they consume goes into generating heat rather than light.

Halogen lighting, a type of incandescent lighting, is typically used to provide a whiter, focused beam for precise task and accent lighting. Halogen is used most effectively in low-voltage lighting systems.

Fluorescent light bulbs don’t use electrical resistance to generate light; they use energy more efficiently and last much longer than incandescent lights. Fluorescent lights are generally available in two types, linear florescent and compact fluorescent.

• Linear fluorescent lights have steadily become an affordable option for homeowners. Today, improved bulbs provide 20 to 60 percent savings over older models.
• Compact fluorescent bulbs are small fluorescent lamps designed as an energy-saving alternative to incandescent bulbs. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs will last up to 10 times longer and save up to 75 percent in energy costs.

Light-emitting diode (LED) technology has been used in electronic devices for many years. More recently, it has proven to be long-lived and efficient for such applications as traffic lights, flashlights, taillights, and holiday light strands. The development of white LEDs holds promise for in-home lighting applications in the future.

Energy Efficient Lighting
You can also realize savings by considering alternative products that use less energy for your lighting needs. For most households, switching to compact fluorescent lighting, as an alterative to incandescent lighting, saves money over their lifetime by lasting longer and using less energy. ENERGY STAR qualified Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) use roughly 25 percent of the energy to create the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb, and they last up to 10 times longer. In fact, while conventional incandescent bulbs have an average rated life of 750-1,000 hours, ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs can last up to 10,000 hours. Of the energy-saving measures available to both homeowners and renters, ENERGY STAR qualified CFL lighting improvements are among the easiest to implement and offer simple paybacks in energy savings within six months to three years.

ENERGY STAR Qualified lighting products provide:

• Energy savings. While it’s true that CFL bulbs and pin-based CFL fixtures may cost more up front, each CFL product you install will save you anywhere from $23 to $166 in energy costs over its life.
• Long Life. ENERGY STAR qualified CFL bulbs are required to last 6,000 hours, and many now last 8,000 to 10,000 hours. That’s six to ten times longer than the average incandescent bulb! ENERGY STAR qualified CFL fixtures with pin-based CFLs can last up to 20,000 hours
• Better quality. The latest generation of fluorescent technology uses electronic ballasts, rather than the old magnetic versions known for slow start-up, flickering and humming.
• Attractive and stylish design. CFL fixtures combine attractive style and design with savings and long life, making them a wise investment. ENERGY STAR qualified CFL fixtures use pin-based bulbs that have the same benefits as incandescent-socket fixtures.
• Warm light. CFLs are available in just about any color temperature, making it the most versatile option for homeowners. Most ENERGY STAR qualified CFL bulbs and fixtures actually match the warm white light from standard incandescent bulbs, not the cool light found in office spaces. See information on color temperature in the Buying Guide section.
• Convenient sizes. More and more sizes of CFLs are becoming available as the technology advances. In some cases, a CFL may be smaller than the incandescent bulb it replaces while producing the same amount of light! From most residential applications, CFLs will fit just fine. If you are not sure about the fit or are concerned that a bulb may protrude from a diffuser or shade, check the bulb size prior to purchase.

Lighting Buying Guide
When selected, installed, and used properly, the lighting you choose for your home can make it a more comfortable and efficient place to live. Before heading to the store, look around your home to decide where ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs make the most sense. Keep in mind the following tips:

Think savings. Choose fixtures for high-use areas of your home where the savings of the CFL can be maximized. High-use areas include kitchens, dining rooms, bathrooms, living areas, and outdoor areas.

*Savings will vary based on electricity rates and typical use.

Think about the fixture. You’ve got options. CFL fixtures come in a variety of styles and sizes, with dimmers, motion sensors, and enclosed fixtures for outdoor use. Match a fixture to the lighting needs of each area inside and outside.

Think about the bulbs. Keep in mind the following tips:

Wattage – Because CFLs produce light levels similar to incandescent bulbs while consuming significantly less energy, you don’t want to choose bulbs based on the same wattage. For instance, the standard CFL replacement for a 60-watt incandescent bulb is 13 to 15 watts. ENERGY STAR qualified CFL packages state which incandescent wattage they replace, so it’s easy to make the switch.Incandescent Light Bulbs Minimum Light Output Common Energy Star Qualified Light Bulbs

Light levels – If you want a brighter light, choose a CFL with a higher lumen output. For more accurate match when switching to CFLs, compare the lumen count listed on the CFL package to that for the light bulbs you are replacing. The chart above shows common CFL Equivalencies.

Color temperature – This term describes how warm or cool light appears from a given source. Most CFLs emulate the light provided by incandescent lighting. If you need cooling light, look for “daylights,” “sunlight,” or “full-spectrum” CFLs. Note that light with a cooler color temperature will appear bluer and may be undesirable for residential use, unless you are seeking this quality for certain tasks. See the table at right for a list of the lighting qualities and applications associated with specific color temperatures.

See the chart below for the color temperatures associated with different lighting sources.

For special circumstances such as dimming, photocell, motion sensor, and outdoors, read the packaging carefully. A CFL bulb must be designed for these sorts of applications.

Email Us for more energy efficiency information or to speak with a Personal Energy Advisor call, 1-800-562-1482.