Turn off lights whenever you leave a room or don't need them, even for just a few minutes.
Turn off or turn down room lights and use area lighting that's
just right for the things you do most often. For example, use a
table lamp instead of an overhead light when reading at a desk.
Make the most of natural daylight. There is no better source of
light than natural daylight. You may need to rearrange some
things to make the best use of daylight, but it's well worth the
change. Consider adding a skylight to bring more sunshine to dark
areas.
Use a nightlight to light hallways where you don't need the
full overhead light. Be sure to turn the nightlight off during
the day.
You can lower overall energy demand by concentrating bright
light where you need it rather than evenly lighting the entire
room - this is called 'task lighting'.
Opening your blinds is a free way to brighten up a room.
For any light that must be on all night (e.g. stairways,
outdoor lights, etc.), replace the bulbs with the lowest wattage
bulbs that you're comfortable with or consider a compact
fluorescent or a nightlight.
Decorate your home with illumination in mind - lighter colours
reflect light, so use them in areas you want to be bright.
Keep light fixtures clean - a cleaner bulb is a brighter bulb.
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. They cost more than
regular light bulbs (starting at $5), but can use 75% less
electricity and last years longer. One compact fluorescent bulb
can save you three times its cost in electricity.
For outside lighting, install a motion sensor that turns the
lights on automatically when somebody walks by, and then turns
the lights off automatically after 1 to 5 minutes.
Dimmer switches are not just a great way to set the mood;
they're an inexpensive way (starting at $10) to save energy. (Buy
special dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs.)
Insulate your recessed pot lights to reduce heat loss into the
attic.
Colour-code or mark light switches and circuit breakers that
can be turned off when not needed.
Use fewer bulbs in multi-bulb fixtures. Most users don't
realize that one strong bulb is more efficient than several
weaker ones. For example: A single 100-watt bulb uses the same
amount of energy as four 25-watt bulbs, but emits about twice as
much light. And it uses less energy than two 60-watt bulbs, but
yields approximately the same light.
Use timers on interior and exterior lights.
Replace outside lights with motion-sensor lights and use solar
powered lights for other outdoor lighting.
LED Christmas lights use much less energy than conventional
Christmas lights.
