What Are The Most Green-Friendly Home Lighting Options?

As the new year turns, we look to new ways to make both us and the world around us a bit better. For many homeowners this comes in the form of green alternatives to the way we live. Not only do green options help to benefit the environment but also end up going a long way towards cutting down our cost of living.

Green lighting options are especially good for that, as it usually just takes a few minor adjustments to habit and some new bulbs. Here’s a look at some of the most green options for lighting in your home.

Compact Fluorescent Lights-

CFL bulbs where once rather hard to find, but now they’re just about everywhere. The bulbs consume significantly less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last longer as well. Available just about everywhere, changing out your incandescent bulbs with these is putting you on the path towards a greener house. These bulbs are also a quick way to help you cut down your energy costs.

LEDs-

Light emitting diodes are gaining in popularity, all though they’re still a bit on the pricey side. LED use almost no energy (about 80-90% less) and last for upwards of 100,000 hours. Long lasting and incredibly durable, LED lights are becoming more popular in homes.

If you’re considering making this switch, look for fixtures where the bulbs are replaceable, which will cut down on replacement costs when the bulbs do eventually burn out.

Natural Lighting-

Letting a little daylight in can go a long way towards helping your lighting solution, especially if you’re building a new house. With a new house, you can easily incorporate skylights which helps to create not only a little extra illumination, capturing the most of one of the most abundant resources, but also helps to create an open and airy feeling in your house, which appeals to many different senses.

Use Timers-

Putting exterior lights on timers or motions sensors is a great way to cut energy because the light only comes on when it’s needed and turns off when it’s not. This not only helps to cut down on energy consumption but also helps to improve the security of your home, especially in the evening.

Change Your Habits- Another good way to help make your house green and cut your energy bill is to change your habits. It might not seem like a lot at the time, but learning to turn lights off when you leave a room adds up.

Another good habit to get into is unplugging chargers (phone, laptop, etc) and powerstrips when you leave the house also goes a long way to using less energy. These chargers and devices will continue to use energy, even when they’re not in use.

If you’re looking for green ways to light your home, it doesn’t take a lot. Changing a few bulbs and making a conscious decision to be more energy efficient can make all the difference when it comes to your monthly electric bill.

By combining these with other green living solutions you can make a huge difference, not just for your comfort and quality of life, but on the environment as a whole. Just remember, even if it’s just you making changes, every little bit counts.

+Ken Uhrich likes houses. In fact he lives in one. You can drop him a line at the Custom Home Group website.