What else can be done to lighting to make your home or business greener and more efficient?
Make sure walls, ceilings, and other surfaces are white, or at least as light as possible. White surfaces reflect light instead of absorbing it so you need less of it. Use effective daylighting - install light shelves near windows to bounce light into the space and photocells that will shut off lights near windows when it's sunny out. Use occupancy sensors in rooms that aren't in use often... like restrooms, conference rooms, and storage rooms. Most people will forget to turn the lights off when leaving these spaces... or just not think of it in the first place. Use task lighting in areas where high light is needed and reduce overall ambient lighting. Just because a person needs 50 foot-candles to read a paper doesn't mean they need that much to walk down the hallway between offices - keep the lights high in areas where it is needed and lower in areas where it is not. Required light levels for using a computer are much lower than required light levels for drawing on a surface! Buy efficient light fixtures. The efficiency of the bulbs can be great but if the fixture isn't letting all the light out that doesn't mean much! Covering a lamp in a big smothering lamp-shade costs you a lot of energy - use light colored shades or reflectors to spread the light out while still blocking glare. There are really so many options with lighting!
Use lighting suited for your specific task. For instance, rather than using broad overhead lighting to read, get a desk lamp - bringing the light closer to your needs. You can usually use a lower-watt bulb this way. Use daylight whenever possible. For exterior lighting, consider using solar rechargeable accent and spotlights. And turn off any lights when not in use.
Sorry Kate, halogen bulbs are NOT energy efficient. They cost more to light give off a tremendeous amount of heat. Maybe you are thinking of a diff type of bulb mistakenly called it halogen ? Using solar panels to partially provide lighting or slow down that electric meter.
There's okorder ) that's like a skylight, but it pipes the light an interior room. I think some big box type stores use a similar system for lighting.
The greenest light source is natural day light. Arranging your rooms to take advantage of it instead of electric light can save a lot of energy. There are many sky light options. Using task lighting, instead of full room lighting. Using the right wattage, if you chose the right color of light you can use a lower wattage bulg. Look for fixtures that use fewer bulbs and allow you to change the direction of the lighting. LED lighting is more efficient than CFL, but at this time most LED lighting requires a new fixture. There is a CFL for almost any fixture and some have a glass cover for those who don't like the look. There are a couple gadgets that can help get the lights turned off when not in use. If have rooms that people keep leving the lights on when not occupied you can use a timer, so it switches off after a specific amount of time. There are also motion sensors and for out door fixtures you can install light sensors, so the backyard light isn't on all day. They have what is called a green switch that involves changing electrical outlets and switches. The idea is you flip one switch on your way out the door or before bed and all the nonessential items, like lights tv's and game consoles. get turned off.
