How to Conserve Lighting Energy

Purchase energy-efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Energy-efficient CFLs provide the same soft light as incandescent light bulbs, but use up to 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer, saving you money on your monthly electric bill. Energy-efficient CFLs are also safer to use and can cut the energy costs of cooling your home because they produce 75 percent less heat than incandescent bulbs.

Replace at least five light bulbs or fixtures you use most in your home with energy efficient CFLs and save over $65 a year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, as of the date of this publication. The most commonly-used lights are those in your kitchen, living room, bathroom and outdoors, such as your porch light.

Turn off the lights every time you leave a room and your home. Keeping the lights on only when you absolutely need lighting not only reduces energy use, but saves you money.

Maintain security outside your home, without keeping your outdoor lights on all night, by using motion detectors on your outdoor lighting fixtures. You can also equip your outdoor lighting fixtures with photo cells or photo sensors, which only turn on your lights once the sun goes down.

Place lamps in the corners of rooms so they reflect light from two wall surfaces instead of one, which brightens the room without turning on more lights than necessary.