Lighting plays an important part in energy efficiency nowadays. Lighting consumes a significant amount of electricity in both residential and commercial buildings, so selecting the proper lighting solution will help you not only save money on your electricity bills but also minimize your carbon impact.
With so many options on the market, it can be difficult to select the most energy-efficient lighting solutions for your needs.
In this article, we will discuss the top five lighting suggestions and solutions that we have discovered to help you save money, preserve energy, and lessen your environmental impact.
1. Invest in LED lighting solutions
Regardless of what you’ve read elsewhere, LEDs remain one of the most energy-efficient lighting solutions available.
LED (light-emitting diode) solutions convert practically all of the energy they consume into light, leaving very little waste. This is in contrast to standard incandescent bulbs, which convert only around 10% of their energy into light and waste the other 90% as heat.
LED lighting solutions also last longer than traditional lighting systems. This means they need to be replaced less frequently, lowering the total amount of energy required to manufacture and transport replacement bulbs.
LED versus fluorescent light bulbs
What about fluorescent lightbulbs? Aren’t they also energy-efficient?
Yes, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are also an efficient way to save energy. However, they are not as efficient as LEDs, and the disadvantages of CFLs outweigh the advantages.
CFLSs take slower to turn on and contain mercury, a poisonous substance that can be hazardous if the bulb breaks. Inhaling mercury has negative consequences on humans and, in severe situations, can be lethal. If you use a fluorescent bulb, make sure to properly dispose of it and avoid breaking it.
Also Read : How to Deep Clean Every Room in Your House
2. Know your wattage and lumens.
If you’re planning to invest in a lighting system, you need first comprehend the terms.
Wattage is the unit of power that a bulb uses to indicate how much energy it consumes.
Lumens, on the other hand, are used to measure how much light a bulb emits. The greater the amount of lumens, the brighter the light. Keep in mind that newer bulbs, like as LEDs, are measured in lumens, whereas traditional incandescent bulbs are still measured in watts.
Let us look at an example. An incandescent light bulb’s label may say “60W” and “600 Lumens”. This means it consumes 60 watts of electricity to create a brightness of 600 lumen. However, if an LED bulb is labeled “60W Equivalent, Efficient 9W” and “750 Lumens,” it means that it uses just 9 watts of power while producing a brighter light than an incandescent bulb. This implies improved lighting and reduced energy consumption.
Where can you find wattage and lumen information for your bulbs? You can locate them on your bulb’s packaging (if you haven’t discarded the box). If you no longer have the box, you can purchase a replacement bulb and inspect the box. Alternatively, you can search up your bulb’s details online.
3. Use smart lights to improve energy efficiency
A smart lighting system, whether for your house or company, can be an excellent method to improve energy efficiency. We’ve provided three examples of these technologies that can help you save money on your next electricity bill.
Because most of these techniques may be managed remotely (e.g., from your smartphone or tablet), you can ensure that your lights are switched off even when you are not present.
Motion sensors
Smart lighting systems can be outfitted with motion sensors to determine when a room is occupied. This means that lights will switch on automatically when someone enters a room and off when the room is empty, preventing lights from being left on unnecessarily and conserving energy.
By investing in a high-quality occupancy and vacancy detector system, you may save energy by having your appliances operate only when people are detected in the area.
Geo-fencing
Geo-fencing is a smart lighting feature that allows you to regulate it based on your location. This automatically turns off your lights when it senses that your smartphone is sufficiently far away from your home.
This is a fantastic item to consider since it can increase the security of your house or business by turning on lights when you arrive and turning them off when you depart.
Dimmers
Many smart lighting systems let you adjust the brightness of your lights. Dimming your lights saves electricity while still providing adequate lighting for the task at hand.
Investing in a high-quality dimming system allows you to completely replace your light switches and save up to 65% on energy. Not to mention that dimmers are ideal for adjusting the atmosphere in your rooms.
4. Utilize timed lights for energy savings
Timed lighting is an effective approach to increase energy efficiency. Setting a schedule for your house lights saves energy when no one is in the room or during daylight hours.
This not only saves you money on your energy bills, but it also lowers your carbon footprint. Furthermore, timed lights for energy conservation can create a sense of security by creating the illusion that someone is home even when you are not. Many smart lighting systems include simple scheduling options, allowing you to tailor your lighting to your daily schedule.
To save money on your power bills, consider using scheduled lights. Here are some instances of timed lights:
Time Delay Switches. Also known as time lag switches, they can turn on your appliances for a certain amount of time before switching them off when you know you won’t be using them.
Plug in the timers. This timer allows you to supply power to a mains-connected device at specific times of day, giving you complete control over your power supply at all times.
All of these devices help you save as much power as possible, so you never squander a watt of your valuable energy.
5. Know the different types of lighting and their impact on energy
Lighting and its impact on energy usage are inextricably linked, as lighting is a key contribution to energy consumption. As a result, it is safe to conclude that increasing lighting efficiency is critical for reducing energy usage.
There are four major types of illumination.
Lighting options include incandescent, fluorescent, LED, and halogen lamps.
Incandescent bulbs
These are the oldest and least energy-efficient bulbs. They operate by heating a filament to produce light, resulting in a large amount of wasted energy in the form of heat. As a result, incandescent bulbs are being phased out in several nations due to their poor energy efficiency.
Fluorescent bulbs
These are more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs, but not as efficient as LEDs. Fluorescent lamps work by ionising mercury vapour inside the bulb, resulting in ultraviolet light that is transformed into visible light by a phosphorescent coating on the bulb.
While they consume less energy than incandescent bulbs and have a longer lifespan, they contain poisonous mercury (as previously stated) and can take longer to turn on and warm up.
LED lighting
LEDs are by far the most energy-efficient type of bulb and are quickly gaining popularity due to their low energy consumption and long lifespan. LEDs use a semiconductor to convert electricity into light, with relatively little energy lost as heat.
LEDs utilize at least 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and can last up to 25 times longer. They can also help you cut your carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40 kg per year.
Furthermore, LEDs contain no harmful elements and may be readily managed with smart technology to maximize energy efficiency. Using LED smart lighting for energy efficiency is a long-term investment that can help you save money and lessen your environmental impact.
Halogen lamps
Halogen lighting is just an improved version of incandescent lighting. In terms of light quality, it is comparable to traditional incandescent lighting.
They are slightly more efficient than incandescent bulbs, but not by much. They are still largely inefficient in terms of lumen-per-watt ratio.
Halogen light bulbs will be outlawed in the United Kingdom beginning in September 2021. The measure was expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.26 million tonnes.
Are you looking for an energy-efficient lighting solution?
There is no doubt that lighting has a substantial impact on energy efficiency. With so many alternatives on the market, selecting the most energy-efficient lighting solutions can assist not only cut electricity bills but also the carbon footprint.
By making little changes like picking the proper bulbs, scheduling lights, using motion sensors, and investing in smart lighting, we can all help to conserve energy, maximise energy efficiency, and reduce our environmental impact.
