Lighting accounts for 10% of all electricity consumed in the United States. Over half of that electricity is used in business and manufacturing.

Flicking a light switch is a simple motion. You do it dozens of times a day without thinking. It’s time to give it some thought. According to the World Resources Institute, the production of energy for lighting accounts for 10% of all the emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas. From 5% to 10% of your residential energy bill goes to paying for lighting. So it’s important to conserve energy by lighting right.

Energy Facts

• Are “long-life” incandescent bulbs better for the environment? No. They’re actually less efficient than the regular ones, and can easily cost more in extra energy than they save on replacement bulbs.
• It’s a trick: “Energy-saving” incandescent bulbs usually save energy simply because they put out less light than their regular counterparts. Check out the “lumens” rating on the package for the amount of light emitted.
• Believe it or not: Dust on a light bulb or dirt on a glass fixture can reduce the light it gives off and make it seem that you need a brighter, higher-wattage light.
• Even the paint color you choose can affect your energy use. The more light the walls reflect, the greater the chance that the light can be “recycled” by striking the wall, bouncing off, and still illuminating the room. A lighter wall can lead to a 25% energy reduction.
• Opening curtains during the day will save lighting energy. Direct sunlight is 100 times brighter than the light from a strong reading lamp.
• It used to be a good idea to leave fluorescent lights on if you were just going to be out of the room for a few minutes. But new fluorescents last longer even when switched on and off frequently.

Simple Ways to Save Energy

• When you leave a room, turn off the lights. People commonly think it takes more energy to turn a light back on than it does to leave it on. But that’s not true.
• Use only as much wattage as you need. Why waste energy with extra light? If you think you can get away with a lower-wattage bulb, try it out and see if it still seems bright enough.
• Dust the bulbs and get the dead moths out of the fixture before you try a higher-watt bulb.
• Use fewer bulbs in multi-bulb fixtures. Most people 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 gives off about twice as much light. And it uses less energy than two 60-watt bulbs, but yields approximately the same light. Note: for safety’s sake, put a burned-out bulb in any empty sockets.

Save Energy with Light Switches

• If any lights in your house are frequently left on when they shouldn’t be – in the garage or basement, for instance – you can install a timer to shut them off automatically. The timer plugs into the wall and the lamp plugs into the timer – simple!
• Light timers are available at most hardware stores. If you’re a competent do-it-yourselfer, you can install them easily.
• You can install dimmer switches wherever you need bright light only occasionally. If it’s an energy-saving dimmer switch (check it out when you buy it), you’ll have the option of using less energy on lighting at other times.

Excerpted from 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, by The EarthWorks Group.