The lighting in our homes can end up costing us a whole lot of money, without us even realizing it. Fortunately, there are some ways people can save money on lighting during the summer season in Denver. Homeowners can make some easy changes that will save them money–especially with lighting. If you are wondering how you save money in the summer by changing your lighting routine, consider some of the easy and effective ideas.
Some simple ideas
Saving money with lighting doesn’t always have to be difficult–it can actually be really easy and takes just a few simple steps.
Lighting retrofit
A lighting retrofit is a really simple way to make your building’s lighting very energy efficient. Over time, the money you save can be enough to not only pay for the equipment but might produce a return on investment. Lighting retrofits improve the quality of light and also result in less in the building overall, which reduces HVAC running times. This, along with increased longevity of lamp life and reduced utility costs will save you tons of money. With lightning accounting for more than 25% of the energy used in the majority of facilities, increased energy can make a huge difference in your monthly bill.
What exactly is a lighting retrofit?
Lighting retrofits include things like swapping out lamps for more energy efficient sources and upgrading lighting controls to improve the efficiency of current systems. Also, retrofit fixtures allow you to use the existing lighting fixtures in your home so the ceiling doesn’t have to be removed.
Natural light
Natural light is something that you can really take advantage of in the summer time. You can open windows during the day to let in the natural light that you would otherwise need lamps for. Let the sunshine in to illuminate all the activities you do during colder months near a lamp. Take advantage of the longer days to light up your house.
Utilizing natural light
Utilizing natural light during the course of the day is probably the simplest way to save money through lighting. Wherever your windows are in your home, pull back the curtains or blinds and let the sunshine through. You can also use natural light to dry your clothes. You can hang clothes near a window or hang them out on your porch to dry them, instead of using your dryer. There are so many ways you can save money by harnessing the power of the sun.
Make it a habit
The only thing that makes using natural light hard is our habits. We’re so used to turning on lights and leaving them on, so it’s important to get into the habit of using natural light. Make it a point to think about it during the day and encourage your family members to do the same.
Lighting consulting
Lighting usually consumes about 35% of the electricity that’s used in commercial buildings and also produces excess heat gains. If you choose to retrofit existing lighting with efficient with different fixtures, light sources, and controls, you can improve the environment and reduce lighting energy use. Current lighting retrofits have a reduction of 40-60% in lighting costs.
What happens during a lighting consultation?
An experienced energy and lighting consultant will calculate existing lighting loads, figure out photometric assessments, and do a thorough retrofit investment analysis. Also, he or she will go over lighting retrofit options that will reduce your electricity usage. If you’re seriously interested in reducing your energy consumption by switching to energy efficient lighting, but you aren’t really sure how to pick the right energy efficient lighting for your home, then getting a lighting consultation is a great idea for you. You’ll learn a lot, and you definitely won’t regret it!
Saving money
You can save money when you utilize natural light, schedule a lighting consultation, or decide to invest in a lighting retrofit. You’ll reap the benefits for years to come with the money that you will save. There are also some little things that you can do to keep your lighting bills down, no matter what time of year it is. Switching to energy efficient light bulbs is never a bad idea, and will also save the environment. Investing into energy efficient light bulbs might be a little more expensive initially, but in the long run, it will only help you. These bulbs last longer anyway, so you will be saving, even more, money in that aspect. You can find these bulbs in any grocery store or general store as well, so you don’t have to go out of your way to find them.
You can also do simple things, such as turn off lights at any point when you’re not using them, which is also something to be done out of habit. But, you would be surprised at how much doing that one action will help you save money over time! Schedule an energy audit to learn more ways to save.
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