Lighting: The Least Expensive Way to Save on Energy in Your New Home
When you consider the large size of your new home, each little light bulb is pretty small by comparison. But these little pieces of technology actually have the potential to either cost you a lot of money, or save you a lot of money. Choosing the right light fixtures as you design your space is important if you want to lower the size of your electricity bill every month. Just make sure you don’t focus on the initial cost. Instead, focus on the long-term savings. So how much can energy efficient lights actually save you? Let’s look at the cost benefits of using high-efficiency light bulbs such as LEDs and CFLs:
Lower energy bills: Regular incandescent bulbs consume on average 60 Watts of energy to generate 800 lumens of light. By comparison, a CFL bulb will use only 13 Watts of energy to generate the same amount of light. That’s 78% less energy. LEDs are even more efficient because they need only 7 Watts to produce the same amount of light. They save 88% on energy bills compared to old-fashioned bulbs. Every CFL and LED you install in your new home will lower your electricity bills. See the table for estimated savings.
Lower air conditioning costs: Regular light bulbs turn 54 Watts of energy into heat and use only 6 Watts to create light. In other words, when incandescent bulbs are on, they heat up your home, which increases your air conditioning costs. Change to CFLs or LEDs and you’ll need less air conditioning to stay cool.
Lower replacement costs: The average incandescent light bulb can be used to provide 1,200 hours of light. CFLs last more than six times as long and LEDs last more than 20 times as long as CFLs. So even though CFLs and LEDs may cost a little more up front to buy, you won’t have to replace them very often. Every year you’ll spend less money on buying new light bulbs.
New Building Codes Make New Homes More Energy Efficient
Getting energy-saving lighting in your new home is easier than ever, thanks to new national building codes. These rules were established by the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) in 2015 and came into effect on September 1, 2016. They require that a minimum of 75% of lamps in permanently installed fixtures must be high-efficiency lighting. Every year in the state of Texas, more than 100,000 new homes are built. These new rules will allow Texas residents to save over $2.7 million annually!
Making The Right Choices In Lighting: Ask A Lighting Professional
Choosing light options can be confusing because of the variety of products and the type of lighting required for specific areas of your home based on the function of those rooms. If you base your decisions on cost, you will miss opportunities to save money in the long term.
There are other lighting technologies in addition to CFLs and LEDs that may be right for you. Working with a lighting professional from Central Plumbing and Electric is the best way to ensure your needs are met in the most economical and code-compliant manner. This family-owned business has been in the Valley for over 50 years and offers a wide selection of beautiful fixtures for every room and every application. Whether you are looking for a designer lighting fixture or a complete new home lighting package, let them do the research and save you time—and money.
Types Of Bulbs
What are CFLs?
CFL stands for “compact fluorescent light.” CFLs are miniature versions of the fluorescent lights you see in ceiling fixtures in many office buildings and retail stores. CFLs are designed to screw into standard lamps and light sockets. That means you can use them in virtually any light fixture you already own and many that will be installed in your new home.
What are LEDs?
LED stands for “light-emitting diode.” These are tiny devices that allow electrical current to flow in one direction to produce light. Any time you use an electronic device with a tiny indicator light, you’re using an LED. When they were first created, they only emitted a small amount of light. Today, they can be grouped together to create larger bulbs that mimic the amount and color of regular light bulbs.
Visit Central Plumbing & Electric to Meet with Lighting Professionals with Bright Solutions For You!
VALLEY-WIDE LOCATIONS
McAllen, Tx: 700 N. 23rd. St. • (956) 631-1124
Pharr, Tx (Showroom): 706 W. Ferguson Ave. • (956) 782-0080
Weslaco, Tx: 625 S. Airport Dr. • (956) 968-8525
Harlingen, Tx: 315 S. West St. • (956) 423-6387
Brownsville, Tx (Showroom): 3805 International Blvd. • (956) 544-4103
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