Talking About Green

One of the easiest ways to go green in your home is to use more energy efficient lighting.
There are a number of eco friendly options that will save you money on power bills and still provide great light quality. A common misconception is that all fluorescent lighting gives off an unattractive blue hue, and people shy away from changing incandescent bulbs to fluorescents for this reason. The truth is, today’s fluorescent lights can provide the same warm yellow glow of an incandescent, depending on the color temperature you select in the bulb.
So, if you’re thinking about going green, follow these lighting tips:

1. Look for the ENERGY STAR Label. These light fixtures have met the strict guidelines set by the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE. They’re specifically designed to save you money on energy bills without sacrificing performance.

2. Switch to CFLs or LEDs. Compact fluorescent bulbs and light emitting diodes last longer and consume less energy. Besides, standard incandescent bulbs are set to be phased out by 2014 (as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007).

3. Think “Dimmer.” If you’re going to keep your incandescent bulbs for the time being, consider installing dimmers to reduce light levels when you don’t need full brightness. If you dim a bulb by 25%, you will save 20% on energy usage and increase the bulb’s life by 4 times.

4. Control the Color Temperature. Color temperature is a measure of the appearance of a light source: it describes how “warm” (reddish tone) or “cool” (bluish tone) the light is. If you’re unfamiliar with shopping for energy efficient lights, pay attention to the color temperature. A standard incandescent bulb is about 2800K. A “warm white” fluorescent bulb is 3000K, a “neutral white” fluorescent bulb is 3500K, and a “cool white” fluorescent bulb is 4100K. Higher color temperatures represent light that appears white, and lower color temperatures represent light that appears yellow.

Emily Widle is a contributing writer for the Pegasus Lighting blog. Pegasus Lighting sells a number of energy efficient light fixtures including recessed lighting, display lighting and Pegasus Lighting.