Have you looked at your utilities bill and cringed at the high costs? Have you looked into ways to save energy in your home? We have the answer for you: switching your light bulbs and light fixtures.
If you have incandescent light bulbs, you can switch them for a lower wattage. This doesn’t mean your lights will be dimmer—this depends on the fixture itself. You can change out your fixtures for ones that require lower wattage bulbs to save on energy without making your home darker.
You can also consider switching your bulbs to compact fluorescents, or CFLs. You might recognize these bulbs as the ones made of long twisted tubes instead of a standard bulb. This design allows the majority of the energy of the bulb to be emitted as light instead of wasted as heat. This means that for the same brightness as incandescent bulbs, CFLs are able to use far less energy.
For a more permanent solution than merely changing out the bulbs, you can save energy with your lights by investing in timers or sensors to turn off the lights when no one’s in a specific room. However, if you choose to go this route, you should consider what kind of bulbs you’re using. CFL bulbs should actually be left on in some cases—the EPA recommends leaving CFL bulbs on when you’re out of the room for less than 15 minutes. These bulbs require energy to turn on and off, so leaving them on for a short period of time will save energy.
Do you want to save money on your electric bill, and do your part to save the environment at the same time? Come by Aubin Ace Hardware to check out the varieties of light bulbs and fixtures we have available. Talk to our staff for help in figuring out the best energy solution in your home, and start saving money!
