In California, lighting accounts for approximately 28% of home electricity use. As a nation, we spend about one-quarter of our electricity budget on lighting, or more than $37 billion annually.
Technologies developed during the past 10 years can help cut lighting costs at least 30% to 60% while enhancing lighting quality and reducing environmental impacts.
Incandescent Lamps (Edison Light Bulbs)
The most common lamp in the United States, the incandescent light bulb, was invented nearly 120 years ago, and it still works much the same way today. Inside a glass bulb, electricity heats a wire filament, causing it to glow and give off light. More than 90% of the energy produced by incandescent lamps is heat, not light. As a result, incandescent bulbs are inefficient light sources, and heat they produce can drive up your electricity bill in hot weather if your home or office is air conditioned.
Fluorescent (Lamps and Tubes)
There are two types of fluorescent lamps: tubular and compact. Tubular fluorescent lamps are commonly used for kitchen and office ceiling fixtures. Compact Florescent Lamps (CFLs) combine the efficiency of fluorescent lighting with the convenience and popularity of incandescent bulbs.
CFLs come in pin-based and screw-based configurations. Pin-based models are designed to fit only into fixtures that are designed for fluorescent lighting. Screw-based CFLs are designed to fit into fixtures where you would typically use a conventional incandescent light bulb.
CFLs can provide as much light as an incandescent that are roughly three to four times their wattage, saving at least 66% of the initial lighting energy. Although CFLs cost more than an incandescent, they last about 10 times as long (10,000 hours or more).
The energy savings and superior longevity make CFLs the more cost-effective choice, saving about $25 over the life of the CFL in energy and bulb replacement costs.
CFLs are available in a variety of styles or shapes, including double- or triple-tubes, the popular spiral shape, covered lamps that look like typical incandescent bulbs, and decorative globe and candelabra shapes. Manufacturers have worked to reduce the size of CFLs while improving light output and quality -- and reducing the cost -- so that it is now easy to find a CFL to fit almost any fixture.
As fluorescents do contain a small amount of mercury, they must be disposed of properly at the end of their life. Contact your local toxic waste disposal facility for directions for disposal.
Light Emitting Diodes (LED's)
The latest in lighting technology. These lamps can last up to 30,000 hours, use a fraction of the power of incandescent bulbs, generate very little heat, and aren't susceptible to vibrations or repeated on/off switching.
As this is an emerging technology, new colors, shapes, and sizes are available daily.
Photovoltaic Electricity Production (Solar)
In addition to heating water, as discussed above, the sun can be used to generate electricity that can be used directly in the home. Systems typically are referred to as being grid-connected, or as being off the grid. Grid-connected systems are connected to the local power utility for backup and usually do not include storage batteries. Off the grid systems must have batteries and are not connected to any utility. Most urban or suburban systems are grid connected to reduce cost and to allow the system to feed electricity back to the utility.
A solar power system on your home is a long term, low risk, high return investment. Solar offers an initial tax free annual return on investment of from 4 to 10%. As utility rates increase, the annual return increases.
The cost of a solar electric system can vary significantly depending on the amount of power required. A home with a $50/month electric bill will require a completely different system than a home with a $500/month electric bill. Residential systems range in cost from $10k-100k.
In addition to this direct return through utility savings, homeowners can also expect that their property resale value will increase substantially. An article in The Appraisal Journal (October 1999) showed that property resale values will increase $10-20 for every $1 saved annually in electricity.
If it is available in your area through your electric utility, you can sign an Interconnection Agreement with them and trade power with the utility at retail rates. The process of trading power with the utilities is called Net Metering, and it allows you to be credited at the same rate that you would otherwise be charged. At the end of your billing cycle, you are responsible for paying the difference between what you used and what you produced.
Solar power systems produce most of their electricity during times of peak demand when electricity rates are highest, which means that you will often feed power into the grid at peak times and pull power from the grid during off peak times. This allows many customers to zero out their bills even if they are not producing as much energy as they are using.
The California Solar Initiative (CSI) offers a rebate for homes and small commercial systems, and the Federal Government offers a tax credit that further reduces the cost of the initial investment. Please consult with your tax professional concerning these rebates and tax credits.
Technologies developed during the past 10 years can help cut lighting costs at least 30% to 60% while enhancing lighting quality and reducing environmental impacts.
Incandescent Lamps (Edison Light Bulbs)
The most common lamp in the United States, the incandescent light bulb, was invented nearly 120 years ago, and it still works much the same way today. Inside a glass bulb, electricity heats a wire filament, causing it to glow and give off light. More than 90% of the energy produced by incandescent lamps is heat, not light. As a result, incandescent bulbs are inefficient light sources, and heat they produce can drive up your electricity bill in hot weather if your home or office is air conditioned.
Fluorescent (Lamps and Tubes)
There are two types of fluorescent lamps: tubular and compact. Tubular fluorescent lamps are commonly used for kitchen and office ceiling fixtures. Compact Florescent Lamps (CFLs) combine the efficiency of fluorescent lighting with the convenience and popularity of incandescent bulbs.
CFLs come in pin-based and screw-based configurations. Pin-based models are designed to fit only into fixtures that are designed for fluorescent lighting. Screw-based CFLs are designed to fit into fixtures where you would typically use a conventional incandescent light bulb.
CFLs can provide as much light as an incandescent that are roughly three to four times their wattage, saving at least 66% of the initial lighting energy. Although CFLs cost more than an incandescent, they last about 10 times as long (10,000 hours or more).
The energy savings and superior longevity make CFLs the more cost-effective choice, saving about $25 over the life of the CFL in energy and bulb replacement costs.
CFLs are available in a variety of styles or shapes, including double- or triple-tubes, the popular spiral shape, covered lamps that look like typical incandescent bulbs, and decorative globe and candelabra shapes. Manufacturers have worked to reduce the size of CFLs while improving light output and quality -- and reducing the cost -- so that it is now easy to find a CFL to fit almost any fixture.
As fluorescents do contain a small amount of mercury, they must be disposed of properly at the end of their life. Contact your local toxic waste disposal facility for directions for disposal.
Light Emitting Diodes (LED's)
The latest in lighting technology. These lamps can last up to 30,000 hours, use a fraction of the power of incandescent bulbs, generate very little heat, and aren't susceptible to vibrations or repeated on/off switching.
As this is an emerging technology, new colors, shapes, and sizes are available daily.
Photovoltaic Electricity Production (Solar)
In addition to heating water, as discussed above, the sun can be used to generate electricity that can be used directly in the home. Systems typically are referred to as being grid-connected, or as being off the grid. Grid-connected systems are connected to the local power utility for backup and usually do not include storage batteries. Off the grid systems must have batteries and are not connected to any utility. Most urban or suburban systems are grid connected to reduce cost and to allow the system to feed electricity back to the utility.
A solar power system on your home is a long term, low risk, high return investment. Solar offers an initial tax free annual return on investment of from 4 to 10%. As utility rates increase, the annual return increases.
The cost of a solar electric system can vary significantly depending on the amount of power required. A home with a $50/month electric bill will require a completely different system than a home with a $500/month electric bill. Residential systems range in cost from $10k-100k.
In addition to this direct return through utility savings, homeowners can also expect that their property resale value will increase substantially. An article in The Appraisal Journal (October 1999) showed that property resale values will increase $10-20 for every $1 saved annually in electricity.
If it is available in your area through your electric utility, you can sign an Interconnection Agreement with them and trade power with the utility at retail rates. The process of trading power with the utilities is called Net Metering, and it allows you to be credited at the same rate that you would otherwise be charged. At the end of your billing cycle, you are responsible for paying the difference between what you used and what you produced.
Solar power systems produce most of their electricity during times of peak demand when electricity rates are highest, which means that you will often feed power into the grid at peak times and pull power from the grid during off peak times. This allows many customers to zero out their bills even if they are not producing as much energy as they are using.
The California Solar Initiative (CSI) offers a rebate for homes and small commercial systems, and the Federal Government offers a tax credit that further reduces the cost of the initial investment. Please consult with your tax professional concerning these rebates and tax credits.
Email
Digg
It was a really nice theme! Just wanna say thank you for the selective information you have fanned. Just continue publishing this kind of post. I will be your patriotic reader. Thanks again.
Good Morning everyone, This site is excellent and so is the way the subject matter was developped. I like some of the comments as well although I would suggest we all stay on the suject so that to add value to the subject. It will be also encouraging to the author if we all could make mention of it (for many of us who have social accounts such as a delicious, twitter,..). Thanks again.
I definitely do not think I could ever keep up with maintaining a blog like yours! Splendid work and I really would love to see you keep going for a long time.
Terrific ideas. I always follow your suggestions and apply them.
I randomly browse blogs on the internet, and I discover your article to be very informational. I've already bookmark it on my browser, in order that I can view your blog submit again later. Also, I am wondering whether your blog is open for link alternate, as I actually want to change hyperlinks with you. I don't usually do this, however I hope that we are able to have a mutual hyperlink exchange. Let me know and have an ideal day!
Wonderful to read!
I am really thankful to the author of this post for making this lovely and informative article live here for us. We really appreciate ur effort. Keep up the good work. . . .
Another great piece of information thanks..