4 Be in the know when you buy
5 Know your light sources
6 Your crash course on ENERGY STAR ® benefits
10 Get the right fixture for the right light
10 Energy efficiency vocab cheat sheet
11 Trash CFLs the right way
Puget Sound Energy is Washington state’s oldest local energy company. We serve 1.1 million electric customers and more than 760,000 natural gas customers in 10 counties. For more information, visit pse.com
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An informed buyer is a smart buyer. To get the most out of your home lighting, it helps to have some general knowledge about the types of lighting methods and applications you are likely to find in your home.
Home lighting use can generally be divided into three major categories:
1. Ambient/general lighting provides widespread illumination and is often the main source of light in a room – like ceiling fixtures and floor lamps.
2. Task lighting provides focused light for work and other detailed activities like cooking or reading. Examples include recessed “down-lighting” and table lamps.
3. Accent lighting highlights objects such as works of art or design elements to create visual interest. Examples include track lighting and wall sconces.
You can visualize savings by considering alternative products that use less energy for your lighting needs. For most households, switching to compact fluorescent light
(CFL) bulbs or light emitting diode (LED) bulbs and fixtures as an alternative to incandescent lighting saves money over the products’ lifetime because they last longer and use less energy.
ENERGY STAR ® qualified CFLs use 75 percent less energy to create the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb, and they last up to 10 times longer.
LED bulbs that meet ENERGY STAR criteria are the most efficient lights that you can buy, using 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs.
Talking numbers, conventional incandescent bulbs last about 750 to 1,000 hours, whereas ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs can last up to 10,000 hours, and ENERGY
STAR qualified LED bulbs can last up to 50,000 hours.
Incandescent has been the most common type of light bulb for home lighting. Incandescent bulbs are simple, inexpensive and versatile, but they are also inefficient compared with newer technologies. Since incandescent bulbs create light through electrical resistance, about 90 percent of the energy they consume goes into generating heat rather than light.
Halogen lighting, a type of incandescent lighting, is typically used to provide a whiter, more focused beam for precise task and accent lighting. Halogen is used most effectively in low-voltage lighting systems.
Fluorescent light bulbs don’t use electrical resistance to generate light.
They use energy more efficiently and last much longer than incandescent lights.
Fluorescent lights are generally available in two types: linear fluorescent and compact fluorescent.
Light-emitting diode (LED) technology is proven to be long-lived and efficient for applications such as home lighting, traffic lights, flashlights, tail lights and holiday light strands.
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ENERGY STAR is a label given to more than 60 categories of consumer and commercial products that meets certain energy-efficiency criteria set by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. The ENERGY
STAR logo is an assurance that the product requires less energy to operate, is better for the environment, and can save you money on energy costs.
The easiest way to benefit from ENERGY STAR qualified lighting is to install qualified CFL bulbs and pin-based
CFL fixtures in the areas of your home you use the most, or where the light bulbs are the most difficult to replace.
Qualified lighting products provide:
While it is true that CFL bulbs and pin-based CFL fixtures may cost more up front, each CFL product you install will save you anywhere from $26 to $207 in energy costs over its life.
ENERGY STAR qualified CFL bulbs are required to last 6,000 hours, and many now last 8,000 to 10,000 hours. That’s six to ten times longer than the average incandescent bulb! ENERGY STAR qualified CFL fixtures with pin-based CFLs can last up to 20,000 hours.
The latest generation of fluorescent technology uses electronic ballasts, rather than the old magnetic versions known for slow start-up, flickering and humming.
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CFL fixtures combine attractive style and design with savings and long life, making them a wise investment.
ENERGY STAR qualified CFL fixtures use pin-based bulbs that have the same aesthetic benefits as incandescentsocket fixtures.
More and more sizes of CFLs are becoming available as the technology advances. In some cases, a CFL may be smaller than the incandescent bulb it replaces while producing the same amount of light! For most residential applications, CFLs will fit just fine. If you are not sure about the fit or are concerned that a bulb may protrude from a diffuser or shade, check the bulb size prior to purchase.
ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs can be installed virtually anywhere you would put a conventional incandescent bulb. Specialty CFL bulbs are available for dimming, photocell, motion sensor and outdoor fixtures. Look on the package to see if the bulb is specially designed for these applications.
All ENERGY STAR qualified lighting products come with a two-year limited warranty. If your CFL or pin-based fixture fails before that time, simply return it with the receipt to the retailer, or call the toll-free number listed on the product or package.
PSE has instant rebates available on
ENERGY STAR qualified CFL and LED bulbs and fixtures. For more information, visit pse.com/lighting or call a PSE
Energy Advisor at 1-800-562-1482 .
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• Where lights are being used for three or more hours a day, a CFL can maximize your energy and money savings.
• A hard-to-reach socket—a CFL lasts longer, so you’ll change it less.
• A CFL bulb may be an option when you need a brighter light without exceeding a fixture’s maximum- rated wattage.
• In dimmable fixtures, only use dimmable CFL bulbs.
Energy use
Life span
Incandescent
60W
1 year
Halogen
43W
2 years
CFL
13W
7-10 years
LED
10W
25 years
775 lumens
710 lumens
850 lumens
850 lumens
Warm white
Great
Warm white
Great
Warm white
Bright white
Cool daylight
Warm white
Bright white
Cool daylight
Fair
(require dimmable
CFLs)
Great
(require dimmable
LEDs)
• LED bulbs can be used anywhere you would put conventional incandescent and CFL bulbs, even in dimmable fixtures, but it’s important to match the right bulb to the right socket.
• LED bulbs can be used in motion-sensor fixtures and photo cell fixtures that automatically turn lights on at night.
• If you need even lighting in every direction, use an LED bulb that is labeled omni-directional. Omni-directional
LED bulbs are well suited for fixtures where the bulb points upwards such as in table or floor lamps and wall sconces.
• Bulbs labeled directional are best in fixtures where the bulb points downward or sideways such as in ceiling fixtures and bathroom vanities.
Look for lumens! Lumens are a better measure of brightness than watts.
Lumens 450 800 1100 1600
Watts 40 60 75 100
Warm General use
Bright Reading and tasks
Cool Daylight for tasks, working
Efficient bulbs can save 28%-80% compared to traditional incandescent bulbs.
Incandescent Halogen CFL LED
28% 78% 80%
Always look for the
ENERGY STAR label.
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ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures use pin-based CFL bulbs that provide an additional benefit over just using CFL bulbs in a conventional fixture. Pin-based CFL bulbs last up to 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs, and are sure to work with the fixture they came in.
Pin-based CFL fixture options include floor and table lamps, pendants, sconces, recessed lighting, outdoor and flush-mount ceiling fixtures. While CFL fixtures may cost more, they’ll save you hundreds in energy costs over the life of each fixture.
Watt : The amount of energy required to power the bulb.
CFLs and LEDs use fewer watts and therefore use less energy than incandescent bulbs to produce the same amount of light.
Lumens : The amount of light that a bulb puts out. To produce 900 lumens, a CFL bulb only needs 13 watts whereas an incandescent bulb would need 60 watts.
Color temperature : For lighting, “color temperature” does not refer to heat produced; it describes the appearance of the light and is measured by degrees Kelvin (K). If you want a CFL that mimics the “warm-toned” light of an incandescent bulb, choose 2,700K or lower. To get a
“daylight” or “cool-toned” light for task areas, choose a CFL bulb rated 3,500K or higher.
CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury, so you should not put used CFLs in the garbage. There are many locations in your area that now offer proper recycling of
CFLs, and many are free of charge.
Mercury is an essential part of CFLs and is what allows them to be so efficient. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact or in use. Each bulb contains about five milligrams of mercury that is sealed within glass tubing.
Older thermometers contain about 1,000 milligrams.
Manufacturers are taking steps to reduce mercury in their fluorescent lighting products; some CFL bulbs now contain as little as two milligrams.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers detailed instructions for safely cleaning up and disposing of broken CFL bulbs. Visit epa.gov/mercury/spills for current instructions.
For more information about the proper disposal of CFL bulbs:
• Call a PSE Energy Advisor at 1-800-562-1482
• Visit pse.com/recycling
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