Tips for Saving Money on Lighting Bills

Electric and lighting bills, when unchecked, can be a huge headache as they can take away a huge chunk of your household budget. In this article, we talk about how you can save money on lighting bills. Read on!

Turn Off the Lights 

Forgetting to turn off unnecessary lights is a big energy waster. Keeping the lights on when not in use drains your electricity and budget fast. But if you turn off the lights at proper times, you save much more on electricity. 

Develop the habit of turning the lights off when they’re not in use. If possible, leverage natural lights. A single window that lets sunlight in can illuminate an area for the whole day, helping you save a ton on lighting bills. 

Try Smart Power Strips 

Some gadgets sit on standby mode waiting for your input. They use a trickle of electricity that can accumulate over time and increase your lighting bill. If you can, plug your smart lamps and LED light fixtures into a smart power strip — this cuts off the power when the lighting isn’t in use. 

Change Your Light Bulbs 

Check your lightbulbs at home and see if they have the Energy Star logo. Energy Star-certified LED bulbs save around $225 in energy every year. Meanwhile, most LED lights use up to 90% less energy than old incandescent lights. They also last 25 times longer.

In other words, the simple task of changing your old light bulbs into more energy-efficient ones can reap great rewards for your household. While LED light fixtures cost a bit more upfront, you save more money over time since your light bulbs won’t be wasteful.

Install Dimmer Switches

Dimmer switches help you control the brightness and intensity of your light bulbs. They can often be controlled by an app that lets you schedule the times the bulb will turn on or off. You can also program them for specific purposes (working, sleeping, etc). 

Of course, dimming the lights also lets you save some amount of power. If you want less intense lighting but don’t want to turn the lights off completely, then dimmer switches are perfect for you. On the other hand, you can also buy smart LED lights that work the same way: they let you control the brightness — and even color — of the light bulbs through an app. 

Do an Energy Audit 

After changing the light bulbs and doing everything mentioned above, it’s time to dig deeper into your energy consumption. Do an energy audit — this involves checking not only your lighting bills and consumption but also the power consumption of your other appliances. 

To get the best and most in-depth electricity audit, it’s wise to seek the help of professionals. Call an expert from your local electric company. A lot of electric companies offer this service for free, so take advantage of it. 

Go through the audit results and find areas where you can make further changes that can lead to more energy savings.