Efficient Home Lighting Design

When building a home there are a lot of important decisions to make.  These decisions range from picking out cabinets to choosing door handles.  Amidst all of these decisions it is important to not forget the lighting in your home.  Choosing the right lights and design for it, could very much increase your home’s efficiency.  Here are a few tips from the US Department of Energy in regard to this:

“Energy-efficient lighting design principles include the following:

More light is not necessarily better: light quality is as important as quantity

Match the amount and quality of light to the performed function

Install task lights where needed and reduce ambient light elsewhere

Use energy-efficient lighting components, controls, and systems

Maximize the use of daylighting.

Here are some basic methods for achieving energy-efficient indoor lighting:

Install fluorescent or LED light fixtures for all ceiling- and wall-mounted fixtures that will be on for more than 2 hours each day, such as kitchen and living room, bathroom, hallway, and other higher-demand locations.

Consider installing fluorescent or LED fixtures, rather than using fluorescent or LED replacement lamps in incandescent fixtures.

Use CFLs or LEDs in portable lighting fixtures that are operated for more than 2 hours a day.

Use ENERGY STAR® labeled lighting fixtures.

Use occupancy sensors for automatically turning on and off your lights as needed.
Consider light wall colors to minimize the need for artificial lighting.

If you are using recessed lights in a ceiling with an unconditioned space above it, use only Underwriters Laboratory (UL) approved fixtures that are airtight, are IC (insulation contact) rated, and meet ASTM E283 requirements.”

For more information about energy saving measures, contact FLAME! Or, read the entire article, “Lighting Design” from the Department of Energy.