| One of the easiest ways to reduce energy | | | | When a room fills with sunlight during the day, dim your |
| consumption and save money is to dim your lights. This | | | | electric lights by more than 10% (or turn them off |
| is true not only in the home, but also in office buildings | | | | completely if there is sufficient light). The more you dim, |
| where lighting typically accounts for around 40% of the | | | | the more energy you save and the longer your bulbs |
| building's total energy cost. | | | | will last. |
| We think of dimming lights primarily as a good way to | | | | Lighting control systems are available today that will |
| set the mood and control ambience. The good news is | | | | automatically do a lot of this for you. These systems |
| that every time you dim the lights for a romantic | | | | include sensors that can measure the amount of |
| candlelit dinner, you're not only setting the mood, you're | | | | natural light in a room and automatically dim electric |
| also saving energy and extending the life of your bulbs. | | | | lights as required (turning them back up in the evening |
| According to the Energy Conservation Enhancement | | | | as natural light fades). Other systems use occupancy |
| Project at Louisiana State University, "20% of all | | | | sensors that can dim or turn off lights in a room that is |
| electricity produced in the U.S. is used for lighting, but | | | | unoccupied, and automatically turn the lights back up |
| 50% of that is wasted by inefficient lighting sources or | | | | when someone enters. |
| careless consumers." Their findings include the | | | | Many of the newer lighting control solutions use |
| following: | | | | wireless technologies, such as ZigBee. These are |
| - Dimming lights by 10% uses 10% less energy and | | | | typically quicker and easier to install (no wiring required), |
| extends bulb life by 2x. | | | | plus provide the flexibility of being able to place controls |
| - Dimming lights by 25% uses 20% less energy and | | | | where they are most useful (rather than where it is |
| extends bulb life by 4x. | | | | easiest to run wires). Some systems also include |
| - Dimming lights by 50% uses 40% less energy and | | | | remote control capabilities, allowing you the ultimate in |
| extends bulb life by 20x. | | | | flexibility and control. |
| - Dimming lights by 75% uses 60% less energy and | | | | You can help to justify the cost of these lighting control |
| extends bulb life by >20x. | | | | systems by factoring in the savings you will make by |
| That means that even in rooms where ambiance and | | | | using less energy and extending bulb life. And let's not |
| mood settings are not important, you should still | | | | forget that they're fun to use! |
| consider dimming as a way to save energy. | | | | Dimming lights is still primarily about setting a mood (for |
| Why not start by dimming all lights to 90%? This is a | | | | example for a special dinner or to watch a movie). But |
| level that most people would barely notice, and it will | | | | now you know that it can also help to save money |
| save you 10% in energy costs while doubling the life of | | | | and to reduce emissions and landfill waste. So the next |
| your bulbs. That means you save money not only by | | | | time you light the candles and open that special bottle |
| using less energy, but also by replacing bulbs less | | | | of wine, you're allowed to feel a bit smug that your |
| frequently (which has the added benefit of contributing | | | | dimmed lights are helping to save the planet. |
| less to landfill waste). | | | | |