Green lighting remodeling tips for homeowners

Posted on April 17, 2012 Category: Energy-Efficiency Articles

If you’re a homeowner seeking to decrease your carbon footprint and increase your property's sustainability, you may want to consider investing in a variety of materials, products and practices. There are a number of cost effective initiatives you can implement to go green at home without spending all the green in your wallet.

Here are three tips to make the switch to environmental lighting:

1. Purchase energy-efficient lighting. Making the switch to light emitting diode (LED) bulbs can drastically reduce your electricity bill, increase sustainability and reduce the carbon emissions you produce directly or indirectly. LED light bulbs use 75 percent less energy than a traditional incandescent bulb and last 25 times longer. In addition, if every American household were to replace one bulb in their house with an ENERGY STAR rated LED, the nation could save enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year, $600 million in annual energy costs and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

2. Install motion sensors. Even a residential home can benefit from installing motion sensors in rooms that are not used for extended periods of time. Consider implementing the solution in areas such as bathrooms, garages, basements, attics and hallways. Lighting in these spaces can easily be left on by homeowners in a hurry or absent-minded children.

3. Switch it off. Ghost energy, the consumption of electricity even when items are turned off and still plugged in, can significantly increase your energy use. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an estimated 75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics in consumed while the products are turned off or approximately 7 percent of the electricity use in the nation. Consider plugging appliances, lamps and electronics into power breakers to stop the flow of power for increased sustainability.