Our blog tends to concentrate on energy efficient lighting issues but we also like to read similar interesting blogs that focus on greener living as well. Earlier this evening I came across this useful blog Making your home greener by allrenewables that focussed on general tips for energy saving around the home and it got me thinking about the simple things that we can do that could make all the difference to your energy bills & your carbon footprint.
As I read the blog I started to look at the lighting I had in my lounge & dining room. It became clear quite quickly that each different light had a very different role to play from each other. There is a standing lamp in the corner of the lounge (loaded with a low energy cfl lamp) & a halogen ceiling light. As we like ambient light in our living room we usually opt for the standing lamp to be illuminated to give us a warm glow where as the ceiling light is rarely used.
In the dining room we have 4 low energy cfl downlights in the ceiling and 2 LED GU10 picture lights on the wall. If we analysed these 4 types of light we can deduce that the standard lamp is used to provide an overall light and is active for most of the evening, where as the ceiling light is off. The picture lights are active for most of the evening and provide more ambient light, but the downlights are off unless we are eating at the table.
The light fittings that are used for large amounts of time have low energy lamps in them where as the occasional lights tend to have the costly halogens. This makes complete sense. The same would apply to areas like bathrooms or landings if they need to be illuminated throughout the night.
I guess the point I am trying to make in this short post is that you don't have to try & save the world by changing every light in your home to a low energy version. But making the smart choice and changing just a few key ones could make all the difference!
http://www.low-energy-lighting.com
Thank you for your comment Joan. I totally agree. I think we can sometimes be put off by thinking we have to go 'all out' and change everything to low energy whereas if we take our time, step by step and make the right choices then one thing follows another and over a period of time you can make your home much more energy efficient (like you have with your stoves). The smallest easy change can snowball over time.
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