Whether it's rethinking the bulbs, the fixtures, the power source, or our individual/collective habits, our green lighting choices are far greater than we might imagine. To help your lighting become more eco-friendly, we've shone the spotlight on Planet Green's "How to Go Green: Lighting."
Top Tips for Greening Your Lighting
CFL: Compact fluorescent light bulbs work like this: Instead of a filament lit up with electrical energy, there are two main parts in a compact fluorescent light bulb: a gas-filled tube (also called bulb or burner) and the magnetic or electronic ballast.
Sweet E-Motion: Some areas of your house—garage, bathroom, porch, basement, attic, laundry room, etc.—aren't as busy as others. That's where motion sensors become practical. When someone enters one of these spaces, the sensor catches their movement and switches on the light. Otherwise, it remains dark.
Sun Worship: Try as we might, humans are no match for the mighty sun and "daylighting" is one method to welcome some free sunshine into your home. Those who can might consider installing skylights or putting as many windows on the south-facing side of the house as possible. A much simpler choice is keeping your blinds open.
Did You Know?
- 19% of global electricity generation is taken for lighting
- 10% of global electricity could be saved by switching to entirely efficient lighting systems
- If every American home replaced just one standard bulb with a CF bulb, it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year
For more on Lighting Tips check out Planet Green's Guide, How to Go Green: Lighting. For more on Going Green, check out the Planet Green How to Go Green Archives.
