How to save energy with Outdoor Lighting
Posted by Guest Blogger on July 15, 2013
Outdoor lighting plays an important role in creating a home. Not only does it enhance safety and security, but lighting around your home can accent unique features on your properly or provide landscape scenery, adding value to a property.
So you enjoy outdoor lighting, but you want to save energy at the same time? Luckily, this can be done easily. As with indoor lighting, you can conserve energy outdoors by using ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures and bulbs. ENERGY STAR lighting fixtures use less energy, save money and help protect the environment. The unique bulbs can be found at most convenient retailers. To locate a store, visit ENERGY STAR’S store locator page.
According to energystar.gov, an ENERGY STAR qualified light bulb saves about $6 a year in electricity costs and can save more than $40 over its lifetime. In addition, an ENERGY STAR light bulb uses about 75 percent less energy than a traditional incandescent bulb and lasts at least six times longer.
Next, you can save energy with outside lighting by using light fixtures with sensors that precisely monitor lights. This can be done with a photocell or motion sensor. A combined motion sensor and photo cell will increase energy savings even more; however a photocell or motion sensor is not recommended to be used with compact fluorescent bulbs. For large areas of outdoor lighting consider energy-efficient halogen, metal halide discharge or high pressure sodium lights. These types of lighting can also be found at most conventional retailers.
Another popular way to make outdoor lighting environmentally friendly is to use LED lighting. These lights provide a bright light while using a fraction of the electricity. The bulb life for an LED light lasts approximately ten times as long than a standard bulb. Another thing that makes LED outdoor lighting a better choice is that they have low heat output.
Finally, keep your outdoor light fixtures and bulbs clean. Dirt absorbs light and reduces efficiency. It can be easy to forget about cleaning lights, so keep in mind that they should be cleaned twice a year. While cleaning, it is important to be careful and practice safety. To avoid mixing water and electrical sockets, switch off all lighting circuits that power the fixtures while cleaning them and for a short time afterward. Before you turn them back on, make sure everything is dry.