As daylight decreases, indoor lighting begins to have a bigger impact on your energy use. One of the simplest ways to save is to turn off lights in any room you’re not using. But if you can’t remember to do that, you can use timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
Instead of brightly lighting an entire room, use task lighting to focus the light where you need it. For example, use low-voltage halogen or fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen countertops. Consider using three-way bulbs to keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not necessary. More on efficient lighting techniques.
Finally, replace your most frequently used incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). ENERGY STARŪ CFLs use one-third to one-quarter as much energy as incandescent bulbs and last 6 to 10 times longer.
If you are unfamiliar with the best CFL wattage to use for your lighting needs, always refer to the lumen, or light output, on the product packaging as your guide. For example, most 60-watt incandescent bulbs provide around 800 lumens, so look for ENERGY STARŪ-qualified CFLs that provide 800 lumens or more.
Refer to the chart below to determine the CFL that is best for your lighting needs:
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You can participate in the nationwide Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STARŪ “Change a Light, Change the World” event. Ameren encourages you to take the Change a Light Pledge and commit to replacing at least one incandescent bulb with an ENERGY STARŪ CFL bulb. Ameren has set a goal of 1,000 pledges, which will save 282,000 kWh of energy and prevent 446,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. Every light changed is a step in the right direction. (Track Ameren’s pledges to date.)
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