7 Energy Wise Lighting Tips for Your Home

Every home, regardless of its size and type, can benefit from energy-wise lighting. Whether it is to minimize your energy bills, reduce your carbon footprint, or simply enjoy a well-illuminated space, energy efficiency is easily achievable. 

The trick to an energy-wise home is efficiency. The good news is that there are plenty of small steps you can take to make your lighting more energy-efficient. The following are the top 7 energy-wise lighting tips you can incorporate into your home.  

1.     Switch to LED lighting

The first step to energy-wise lighting is in the selection of the right light source. The LED bulb (Light Emitting Diode) is known to be the most energy-efficient light source, as compared to the incandescent lamp, fluorescent lamp, and halogen bulb types. In fact, it is approximately ten times more efficient than the traditional incandescent bulb, additionally offering a longer rated life for your lighting needs. Switching to LED lights not only guarantees you a significant reduction in your energy bills, but the longer rated life means you would have to replace them less frequently as compared to the incandescent light bulb and other light bulb options. 

Furthermore, LED light bulbs are highly versatile, offering a wide range of color temperatures, lumen outputs, color rendering index, and beam angles from which to select. Their low emission of heat and UV rays also makes them the preferred light source when it comes to illuminating artwork in your art-centric room. 

Therefore, replace your fluorescent bulb, halogen bulb, and incandescent traditional bulb with more energy efficient light bulb options such as LED lamps, to save on electricity.

2.     Choose ENERGY STAR® Qualified Products

For energy-wise lighting, the Energy Star rating is the ultimate mark of energy efficiency when selecting your lighting fixture. Therefore, look out for energy star rated fittings whenever possible. Go for low-wattage energy saving LED lights or CFL bulb types (Compact Fluorescent Lights) with the required lumen output to minimize your energy consumption. 

3.     Install Dimmers

Dimmer switches are another great way to keep your lighting costs low without sacrificing functionality or ambiance. Dimmer switches allow you to regulate and adjust the amount of lighting in the room to the desired level, ensuring that you’re not using more light than you need. 

You can get dimmers installed for almost all your dimmable light fixtures, adjusting the amount of light based on whatever activity you're doing, whether it’s watching TV, cooking dinner, or reading a book.

4.     Incorporate Occupancy Sensors and Motion Detectors

Another great way to integrate energy efficient lighting in your home is by incorporating occupancy sensors and motion detectors in your interior and exterior spaces. These devices will automatically turn on when they detect movement and turn off when no movement has been detected for a certain period of time. They can help you save a lot of money on electricity bills by preventing lights from being left on in rooms that aren't occupied.

Automating your lighting with occupancy sensors or motion sensor lights in areas such as hallways, bathrooms, staircases, closets, and kitchens will ensure that lights are only turned on when someone is actually present in those areas, considerably reducing your electricity consumption and lighting bills.  

5.     Layer your Lighting

A house is not a home until it is lit just right. Layering lights in the interior design of your home is an incredible way to provide just the right amount of illumination in your room. Instead of washing over your entire space with bright lighting, layering light allows you to provide more efficient lighting where it is most required and lower lighting levels in other areas of the room. 

There are three layers of lighting. Ambient lighting provides the general lighting in the room, task lighting avails the lighting required for specific tasks such as reading or cooking, and accent lighting sets the ambiance in the space. 

Accent lighting also highlights artworks as well as unique architectural features in your interiors. Wise art lighting techniques should allow you full control over the accent lighting that illuminates your artwork. Perfect Picture Lights provides dimmable art lighting fixtures with light adjustment and beam adjustment options, allowing you to illuminate your artwork like a pro.

Ensure you set different controls for each layer of light, allowing you to switch off any layer when not in use. For instance, you can switch off the task lights when simply relaxing in a room.

6.     Maximize Daylight

Making the most of the sun’s rays is another fantastic way to let in more light in your spaces at no extra cost. Installing glazed windows, skylights, and other features that allow natural light into the home helps to reduce the need for artificial lighting during daytime hours. Having ample sunlight in your interiors will help you achieve the airy feel in minimalist interior design and light settings.

Open your blinds or curtains during the day, and utilize rooms that have large windows for efficient lighting. Paint walls lighter colors, and install mirrors in your room to reflect more natural light into your spaces.

7.     Install Solar-Powered Outdoor Lights
 

Illuminating your outdoor spaces contribute majorly to your electrical bills, depending on the size of your property. Switching to renewable energy options such as solar-powered lighting, particularly for your outdoor lighting, is a smart way to appreciably minimize your carbon footprint, utilize clean energy, and reduce your energy bill. 

Energy Savings To Smile About

It is truly easy to reduce your home's energy use by making your lighting design more energy-efficient. The above energy-wise lighting tips will allow you to achieve your illumination goals without breaking the bank on your monthly energy bills. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Winny Okoth is a practicing Construction Project Manager and Interior Designer. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Construction Project Management. Winny Okoth has a great passion for every form of design as well as 3D visualization skills for architectural and interior design.