16 NOVEMBER 9, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Shedding new light: 8 surprising facts that
will have you rethinking your lighting
You step into a dark room, turn on the light switch and go about your day
without giving it another thought.
But here's the thing – you should.
According to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency,
the average American home has
approximately 50 light sockets, and
most of those still contain ineffi cient
light bulbs. These bulbs spend 90
percent of the energy they use creating
heat around the bulb and only
the remaining 10 percent providing
any real, actual light. This is just one
surprising fact about your lighting
you may never have considered. To
get you thinking about your lights in
a whole new way, here are eight more
surprising lighting facts.
• Small costs, big savings for you. An
ENERGY STAR-certifi ed LED light
bulb will cost you about $2 in most
parts of the country. In some areas
it may be possible to buy such a bulb
for $1, thanks to utility rebates. Yet
over the course of its lifetime, a
15,000-hour bulb will save you
around $80 compared to the cost of
using a 43-watt halogen-incandescent
bulb over the same time.
• Big savings for the country as a
whole. If every American replaced
their existing bulbs with energy-effi
cient solutions, the country would
save $6 billion per year in lighting
expenses.
• Same options in an energy-effi cient
offering. LED bulbs that have
earned the ENERGY STAR look
and act just like the conventional
bulbs you are used to. They turn on
instantly and provide quality light
all around. Most are also designed
to dim, and some even get warmer
as they do so. There are even LED
solutions designed to match the look
of trendy vintage-style bulbs so you
can have the look you want without
wasted energy expenses.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR seal.
The government-backed ENERGY
STAR label is a "seal of approval"
ensuring that the certifi ed product
saves energy, delivers on brightness
and meets myriad other requirements
proven by extensive testing
and third-party certifi cation. Select
products bearing this seal and you'll
attain your lighting and energy effi -
ciency goals.
• A shift ing trend. Since 2016, many
major light bulb manufacturers
and retailers have pledged to phase
out CFL bulbs and utilize only LED
lighting off erings. Now is the time
to be ahead of the trend.
• Adoption across the map. LED
adoption is happening at diff erent
rates across the U.S., but in most
states, LED bulbs made up about 20
percent of sales in 2015-2016. In 2016,
the following cities were leading in
LED bulb sales: Minneapolis, Seattle,
Oklahoma City, Tulsa, St. Louis, Richmond,
Orlando, Hartford, New Haven,
Milwaukee, Nashville and Phoenix.
• Finding the right solution for your
home. Like conventional bulbs,
there are specific LED solutions
for every socket in your home. To
fi nd the right bulb for your space,
remember the ABCs: Application,
Brightness and Color. ENERGY
STAR off ers a guide that can help
you choose the right bulb for your
needs by analyzing each of these
categories. You can fi nd the guide at
www.energystar.gov/choosealight.
• An ever-evolving market. Today
LED lighting solutions are available
in many options, but the potential
for the future is nearly limitless.
For example, many manufacturers
are integrating microchips
into LED bulbs, enabling them to
be controlled remotely, to turn on
and off , dim or operate based on a
schedule or the occupancy of space.
All of which will provide ease of use,
reduced energy expense and the
lighting consumers need.
Turning the lights on and off in a
room is a simple decision, but one that
has great implications you may not
be aware of. Make the change in your
home today to more energy-effi cient
LED bulbs and you'll feel better about
your decision with every fl ick of the
switch. To learn more, visit www.energystar.
gov/bulbrevolution.
Courtesy BPT
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