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Lighting the Way: Energy Efficient Lighting

Written by Housing Energy Advisoron October 31, 2011—Leave a Comment Whether you are running a household or a business it can be surprising how much energy is taken up by the most mundane aspect, that of providing light in our properties. We use light-bulbs sometimes for hours a day and it can form up to 40% of the household utility bills. So it is in everyone’s interest to help to reduce the amount of energy used by the lighting in their properties.
The first and most obvious step is to ensure that you manage your lighting most effectively. Ensure that you only switch lights on when you need them. Remember to switch the lights off when you stop using a room. Lighting unused areas is costing you money. If you are running a business you might want to consider utilising occupancy sensors for areas like toilets or store rooms, these will switch on when motion and body heat is detected in an area giving light while someone is in the room. After the person leaves the lights will switch back off. This isn’t standard in the domestic household, but you should definitely get into the habit of switching lights off. After all, it is costing you money.
Where possible you should always try to use energy efficient light bulbs. It is worth pointing out that the previous generations of incandescent bulbs are being phased out by government edict, soon you will only be able to buy low energy bulbs and low energy light fittings. Why were incandescent bulbs so bad? Well, put simply they are extremely inefficient. They tend to convert about 90% of the power supplied to them into heat and only 10 per cent into visible light. That’s a lot of wasted energy.
When they first came out energy efficient light bulbs were predominantly of the Compact Fluorescent Type (CFL) which received a lot of negative press due to seemingly low light levels compared to the previous incandescent bulbs and perceptions of not having a long life span. Advances in technology since have improved the efficiency of the bulbs but the truth is that the bulbs are not designed for ‘immediate’ operational. Instead they take time to build up to a bright light level and are designed for long term usage while switched on, not switched off and on continuously over a short time frame. That is what shortens the bulbs life.
In addition to the new generation of Compact Fluorescent Light-bulbs there are other newer types of lighting that is also rated as being extremely energy efficient. These include Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and certain types of Halogen light bulbs, which can further save 30% electricity over the standard Halogen bulb.
With standard incandescent bulbs being withdrawn over the next few years and the rise in technology for various new types it is definitely the right time to start looking at changing to the new generation of light bulbs. The concerns over the efficiencies of the earliest energy efficient light bulbs have been addressed. Now you can make substantial savings by incorporating basic changes to manage your lighting and to take advantage of the energy efficient bulbs on the market. Recent figures showed that by changing all the bulbs in a house it can save £45 per year or £670 over the course of the lifetime of the bulbs. That’s a big saving!
Written by Symon Silvester
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Green Energy Saving Ideas And Electricity Saving Devices That Save Money You Must Know Part 2

sun power. And no matter in the thick of winter, or summer you will be able to tap on its energy without fail.
As long as your home solar panel kits are well set up, you will be able to run almost all your home energy consumption via solar. And it helps converse energy while you consume without guilt. Get rebates when you resell your excess energy back to the utilities company. And the best part of it all is that your home will appreciate in value too. Very soon, the matured technology will drive demand and solar panels for sale will spike.
You may complain at onset that energy saving devices cost extra but it is important to rationalize that it will pay off many folds of the energy and money saved.
Check here for more Green Energy Saving Ideas And Electricity Saving Devices That Save Money You Must Know Part1 .

Be Smart with Solar Energy. Get your very own guide to Build You Own Solar Panels For Homes here and start to save on energy bills.
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Green Energy Saving Ideas And Electricity Saving Devices That Save Money You Must Know Part 1Easy Ways To Save On Energy Bills Without Breaking Your Bank

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Residential Solar Energy – To Buy or To Build Your Own Solar Panels For Homes?

When you choose to build your own solar panels for homes, there are also certain challenges. However, it is not a critical prerequisite for you to have technical knowledge before you start. What is key to your project are your perseverance, commitment of improving your green living, and the wish to see your home appreciate in value with the final completed product. That said, you do indeed need a good clear and concise manual with videos to guide you along. Although there are extensive information on this topic, there are only a few great manuals which show you step by step on the process. The best part of the deal is that materials cost less than 200 dollars per panel. This is indeed a vast difference when you choose to create rather than purchase, and you can literally expect to break-even within three months. Not to mention that it could be a fun weekend for you and your family too.
Comparatively, it does not cost you much to learn how to build your own solar panels for homes, yet it is a life skill which can be duplicated to tap on sustainable and renewable residential solar energy in almost every home you own, thereby enabling you to enhance marketable value with your home solar power system.
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Residential Solar Energy – The Key Features Of A Great Home Solar Panel System Manual PackageGreen Energy Saving Ideas And Electricity Saving Devices That Save Money You Must Know Part 1

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Green Energy Saving Ideas And Electricity Saving Devices That Save Money You Must Know Part 1

Indeed, turning up the thermostat one degree a couple of days will not only let you get away with it silently enough, but more importantly helps you to save energy, literally by about 4 percent every degree below 78. And try to avoid switching on your air conditioner when below 96 degrees and switch on your fan instead.
The Dual Purposes Of Ceiling Fans – Keep Cool And Save Money Too
Ceiling fans and more appropriately spot fans can literally lower the surrounding temperature by three to eight degrees. And you can either turn up your air conditioner in tandem with the use of fans for the wind chill factor to kick in or simply stick to using fans. Based on my experience, once your body gets used the fans, there is in fact no need for the air conditioners unless you are in the middle of a hot spell. Fans are the economical cousins of air conditioners, costing less than $50 per piece and less then a dime for half a day’s usage. Conversely, its more expensive cousins cost at least about 60 to 80 times more.
Do You Need Electricity Operated Appliances Really?
So you often mow your lawn with your gasoline or electric lawn mower. Have you ever thought of using a manual push mower instead? No doubt you will need to work harder on the device, but this gives you more muscles, a well tanned body and may be even help you save on a gym membership too!
Flexible Leaf slider boards are great alternatives to gasoline driven mowers bye virtue of the fact that it is fuel free.
CFLs – Low Energy Light Bulbs Can Really Light Up Your Life Too!

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