epcor.ca
eFFiciency
guide
Lighting
tips For lighting eFFiciency
Compact Fluorescent
lamps (CFLs):
• ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs are 75% more
efficient than incandescent bulbs while delivering
the same output.
• The longer you use your incandescent bulbs,
the more it is costing you in energy. Don’t wait
for them to burn out before replacing them with
ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs.
DID YOU know?
Less than 10% of the energy
incandescent light bulbs
consume is used for lighting
and the remaining 90% is
lost as heat.
• Regular incandescent light bulbs have changed
very little over the past century. Less than 10%
of the energy they consume is used for lighting –
the remaining 90% is lost in the form of heat.
• If every Canadian household replaced just one
incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR
qualified CFL, it would have the same impact as
removing 66,000 cars off the road for one year.
Timers, sensors & dimmers:
• Dimmers on your lights can help save energy,
increase the life of the bulbs and add various
lighting levels to your room. They also add variety
to your room by allowing you to vary the level of
light to suit your needs. Ensure that the lights used
are rated for dimmers.
• Look for dimmers that allow a full range of dimming,
and don’t buy bulbs that are brighter at full power
than you need. Do not use compact fluorescents
with standard household dimmers unless they
are rated to function with dimmers.
• Consider replacing ordinary wall switches with
hi/low switches, which have three settings: full
brightness, one-third brightness and off. Make
sure these switches don’t use resistors, or you
won’t save energy.
• Consider installing other interior devices including
timers that automatically turn lights on and off after
a set period of time or motion sensors that turn lights
off when a room is unoccupied.
energy eFFicient recessed
and track lighting:
• Track lighting is useful in locations where lights need
to be aimed at different angles and where the position
of the light may need to be changed often. Be sure to
use CFLs for energy savings over incandescent bulbs.
LeDs (Light emitting Diodes):
• Make your holiday displays look great while being
energy efficient with LED light strings. LED lights
use up to 90% less energy than incandescent
holiday lights and don’t burn hot, so the fire hazard
is significantly lower.
• The amount of energy consumed by just one 7-Watt
incandescent bulb, the kind used on traditional
holiday lighting strings, is the same used by 140 LED
bulbs – enough to light two 7.3-metre strings.
Outdoor lighting:
• Use motion sensor lighting to illuminate the
entrances to your home – this is especially useful
for safety and security.
Apart from buying energy-efficient fixtures and
lamps, you can save energy and money by following
these steps in lighting your home:
• Use natural daylight from windows and skylights whenever possible.
• Consider installing solar tube day lighting in washrooms with easy
access to the roof. Solar tubing brings daylight through a reflective
tube into rooms with no windows.
• Turn lights off when they are not in use. This applies to fluorescent as well
as incandescent lamps. If you are out of a room for more than 10 minutes,
switching off a fluorescent light will save energy and lamp life. However,
don’t switch fluorescent lights on and off repeatedly or lamp life will be
reduced.
• Keep your lamps and fixtures clean. Dirt reduces light levels, which can
lead to extra lights being switched on or higher wattage lamps being used.
Drip-dry plastic parts to reduce static buildup, which can attract dust.
• When cleaning, unplug the fixture or turn the power off.
• Avoid having too many lights controlled by a single switch (this can
result in having lights on where and when you don’t need them).
Switches should be visible and easily accessible.
• When redecorating, remember that white walls and ceilings will reflect
about 80% of the light that strikes them, whereas black surfaces reflect
only about 10% of the light. In other words, you will need brighter lights
in a room with a dark decor than in a room with white surfaces.
• Place floor lamps or table lamps in a corner instead of in the middle of a
wall. This will allow them to reflect light from two walls, giving you more
usable light for your money.
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