So, you’ve decided to change your home lighting over to energy-efficient lighting? Congratulations! Energy-efficient lighting is an exciting new area of lighting that is really only about ten years old. In this article, I will provide a step-by-step process for transforming your indoor lighting over to energy-efficient lighting.
Step One: Getting CFLs: The first step in changing over your lighting is to swap over to CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps). Look throughout your house for any standard light bulbs that you have in fixtures (i.e. the ones that look like the light bulb Edison invented). These bulbs can be very easily changed over to CFLs, literally within a single afternoon. At this point, don’t change over anything non-standard. Just change over the bulbs that are straightforward.
Safety note: CFLs are extremely toxic if broken. Do not use them in areas with physical activity (like a garage you children like to play floor hockey in) or where they might be broken by toddlers
Step Two: Solar Lights: The next step is to change over your lamps outdoor to solar lamps. There is a bit of a tricky problem, however. What do you do with outdoor fixtures that you like, but are not solar? Many outdoor solar bulbs come with their own solar panel that can be placed near to an extant fixture. Speak to your hardware store about which bulbs will be compatible with which fixtures.
Step Three: Accent Lighting: Next, you’ll want to change over your accent lighting. These are directed lights, usually halogen, that shine a beam in a particular direction, and are used to illuminate “accents” in your home, like artwork. LED lights provide the same high-quality accent lighting that halogen does. Speak with your hardware store about which LED bulbs will best replace your halogens.
Step Four: Replace Non-Standard Lighting: Finally, you should replace the lighting in your home that isn’t simply standard lighting. These include bulbs that are not in the traditional Edisonian shape and also bulbs that use different voltages. In almost every case, a fluorescent or LED light will be available that will suit your needs. Again, speak with your hardward store about your needs.
A few times in this article, I have mentioned “speaking with your hardware store.” When you do this, bring the old bulb with you and show it directly to the person working at the store. The little letters and numbers at the top include a great deal of information, and they can use that information to provide you with a replacement. Of course, that they know the size of the bulb is important as well.
With all of this information in mind, you are in a position to change over to energy-efficient lighting.
