How to Lower Your Electric Bill With Energy Efficient Lighting
Sep 19, 2009 Save Money
Are you looking for a bright idea to save money, save energy, and join the green revolution? Then look no further than your nearest light fixture!
Its probably still using the traditional incandescent bulbs invented over 100 years ago by Edison. Unfortunately, those bulbs are only using 10% of the energy consumed for lighting. That’s right … 90% of the energy consumed is wasted!
It’s time to step up to the future. Compact fluorescent bulbs and light at meeting diode bulbs are superior in almost every way. They are more efficient by a long margin and therefore save you money while reducing carbon emissions.
Here are some of the benefits and attributes of compact fluorescent light bulbs:
1. Anywhere a standard bulb will fit, works for these new compact for fluorescent bulbs
2. They are suitable for indoor or outdoor use.
3. You can find these bulbs in all familiar shapes — candelabra, vanity, globe, floodlight, and standard.
4. These bulbs can also be found at various brightnesses and colors including natural daylight and incandescent glow.
5. CFLs use approximately 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs.
6. You pay a bit more for compact fluorescent bulbs initially but they last much longer (up to 10 times).
7. These bulbs are manufactured by the biggest companies in the business including Sylvania, Westinghouse, Phillips and GE.
Another alternative is light-emitting diode bulbs:
1. Light emitting diode bulbs last approximately 100 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.
2. LEDs are 1000% more efficient than incandescent bulbs. That’s 10 times more efficient.
3. Because LEDs are so energy-efficient they are ideal for flashlights, camping lights, and other battery-powered lights.
4. They are also suitable for reading lights, nightlights, track lighting, refrigerator lights, spa or pool lights, or Christmas lights.
The difference it would make countrywide in our energy usage and carbon emissions, if we all switched to compact fluorescent or light admitting diodes would be profound. Not only that but our energy budgets would see big-time savings.
You can find CFLs or LEDs at your local retailer, or they can be purchased online at www.bulbs.com.
Al Arbuckel enjoys writing helpful and informative articles for the internet community about saving energy and money at home. If you appreciated this article you might also like reading about the energy saving opportunities with tankless gas hot water heaters and the propane water heater on websites he has developed.
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Heating Tips To Save On Energy Bills
Jun 13, 2009 Save Energy
One of the first people of notable importance to bring energy conservation was former American President Jimmy Carter in 1977 during the oil crisis. He instructed all Americans to turn their thermostats down to try to conserve heating energy.
He made this statement over thirty years ago, however it is still extremely relevant today, if not more so than it was then. The energy conservation concept is very simple. The less energy that the general population use, the more will be conserved on the whole.
Heating larger rooms is usually the most expensive part of the energy bill for most households. A step as simple as turning the thermostat down by around one degree can make around a two percent difference in your overall heating bill.
Your boiler will be responsible for maintaining the difference between the outside and inside temperatures. There can sometimes be a big difference between the two of these, especially in winter. If this difference can be reduced at any time, it should be done, even if it can only be reduced by one or two degrees, this will still make a difference because the heating system will have to be switched on for a shorter amount of time.
Of course the main thing that will spring to mind when turning a thermostat down is how cold the house will be. Well, President Carter had an answer for this as well, he said put a sweater on!
To start with these changes in temperature may feel uncomfortable, but after some time wearing sweaters and thick socks at home will become normal and your body will adapt to the changing temperature.
Of course, these principles are the same the other way around. During the summer months, it can be tempting to have your air conditioning on quite high to keep your house cool from the sweltering heat outside, but the same concepts should apply for this as they do in the winter, but turn the temperature the opposite way.
To summarise, you should try to have the temperature of your house as close as you can to the temperature outside and adjusting your clothing appropriately so you can achieve this to a greater extent.
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