Soften the light and save - use dimmers and LED lights

Many good citizens do the right thing and have been converting most of their incandescent to CFL’s (compact fluorescent lamps) because they save money/energy. However, there are many situations where an incandescent lighting solution is the better choice. Incandescent light offers a warmer glow and a less harsh experience on the eyes than fluorescents. So for that living room spot, dining room chandelier, conference room presentation lights , or sconce mood light….how can we be more efficient? The answer is dimmers. Reducing the light to just 80% of the rated capacity greatly lengthens the bulbs life in addition to the power savings. It has also been shown to increase work productivity in many environments. Check out this article from the Morning Call.

LED(Light Emitting Diode) lighting is another solution that is readily available these days. One of the nice things about LED lighting is that the energy consumption is a fraction of even what a CFL consumes. The light quality of an LED bulb is also very good, plus it contains no mercury like a CFL. Most of the LED lights are fully dimmable too, which is another added benefit. Though they are more costly initially – LED lights will likely outlast everything else in your home (and save you money each month). Contact me if you are interested in getting more info or purchasing Cree or Solaris LED light fixtures - we get them at wholesale.

The following emit the same amount of light when used for a spotlight application:

60Watt Incandescent Spot light bulb = 13Watt CFL spot =  6 to 7Watt LED spot light !