6 Lighting tips that can make your home more efficient.
Lighting. It’s one of those things we all need. Seriously. There is no exception to this rule, we all need light. It’s an essential part of our day-to-day needs, no matter who you are. It’s one of those things that is not separated by class, ethnicity, diversity etc. etc. We all need it, we all budget for it, it’s a must have. What people don’t all know is that there are some extremely effective ways to ensure that you’re making the most of your energy budget by producing cost-effective energy solutions. So we’re here to tell you how.
Norcal Electric & Pump Work is a full service electrical and lighting contractor specializing in a variety of projects – we’re here to give you a few tips on how to reduce your costs on energy when it comes to lighting. We know you need your light, we know you want to save money – follow a few of our tips and you’ll be able to have both!
To start off – did you know that an average household allocates at least 10% of its energy budget to lighting? That’s a good amount so let’s try to reduce your bills.
- The first and easiest way to reduce energy bills related to lighting is to replace traditional incandescent bulbs with energy saving light bulbs. (For the best results make sure to get Energy Star qualified bulbs)
- Fun fact: The use of new lighting technologies, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), can reduce the energy use required by lighting by 50% to 75%
- Fun Fact: CFL bulbs last 10 x longer and use ¼ the energy of traditional incandescent bulb. It’s crazy that a CFL bulb can pay for itself in energy savings AND saves you money each month.
- Fun Fact: Energy Star qualified LED’s use 20-25% of energy and lasts up to 25 x longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. That’s incredibly awesome isn’t it!
- Replacing your bulbs is one thing, make sure you’re replacing them with the right light bulb. Do you need help choosing a light bulb? Energy Star has a great light guide that can help guide you through this process after Norcal Electric & Pump Work helps you out with your electrical wiring. Using the wrong type of bulb can shorten the length of time for the bulb. Let’s be as efficient as possible!
- Look to alternative lighting opportunities instead of electrical lighting – although we’re in the business of electrical lighting one of the easiest ways to cut down on the energy bill for lighting is to create a home or atmosphere that provides natural lighting in the day.
- Skylight and windows are a great source of natural light. While this tip is really only useful for those of you building or remodeling a home, it’s a great tip to keep in mind. Putting in a skylight, even in a bathroom, can help add quite a bit of natural light, allowing you to reduce the amount of electrical wired lighting you might be using. (i.e. consider adding windows to places that might seem odd such as staircases). Windows facing South are ideal. Open up your curtains! Let your light shine through
- If it’s too late to add a natural skylight then consider TDD’s. They are essentially “reflective cylinders or pipes installed between the roof and ceiling, with a clear plastic dome. The bottoms of the tubes are diffused or glazed to prevent glaring beams of light and to ensure a soft glow.”
- Glass doors are one of the easiest ways to allow extra light into any given room. You can even make sure your glass doors have etched glass decals to give your home a little bit more privacy – depending on the door location. Even with interior doors – adding French doors to a family room or library can help let light in from other areas of the house. Sliding glass doors to the backyard – yes please!
- Use a dimmer for your lights! When utilized in its low setting it can help save energy. Common sense says if you use less light, you’ll use less energy thereby causing you to spend less on energy bills.
- Planning on going out but don’t want to come home to an empty house? Use a timer to save electricity by turning lights off when you’re not home, but keeping them on so you don’t come home in the dark.
- Remember when we said the easiest way to reduce energy bills and lighting is to switch your light bulbs – well we forgot the most basic one. This is actually the easiest way to reduce your lighting energy bills – TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS. It’s simple, when you’re not in a room turn off the lights. When you’re not home – turn off the lights (or put the lights on a timer). When you’re not using a light – turn it off. Do not use lighting when it’s unnecessary. We all do it, but try not to.
These are just a few ways to make the most of the lighting in your home. We all need lighting, but these are a few great ways you can save on lighting. Want to know more about our electrical work and lighting and how you can save? Just ask! We’d be happy to share some more tips and give you a little bit of insight on what why we are the most efficient lighting and electrical contractors in the North State.
Norcal Electric & Pump Work is Chico, Paradise, Oroville/Yankee Hill and Northern California’s one-stop-shop for all your Electrical and custom construction project needs. From Generator sales and repairs to HVAC sales and repairs – we’re here for you every step of the way. We pride ourselves on going above and beyond to provide our customers with practical solutions for their Electrical needs. Please give us a call today at one of the following numbers and we’d be more than happy to take care of whatever you need from generators, heating and air, electrical and lighting, and more!
- Chico: (530) 345-5003
- Paradise: (530) 872-3922
- Oroville/Yankee Hill (530) 538-9350
