Energy Efficient Lighting
For this month’s installment in our series on green building and sustainable living, Mamaw Love of Love the Green Team joins Asheville Cash Buyers to discuss one of the easiest changes that homeowners can make to improve the energy efficiency of their homes – lighting!
On average, homeowners dedicate about 5% of their energy usage to lighting. That may not sound like a lot, but it can make a big difference over time.
In general, Love recommends that homeowners use either CFL or LED light bulbs rather than the more traditional incandescent options – she offered a quick rundown of each option and the benefits that it provides:
- CFL: Compact Fluorescent Lights are a great alternative to standard incandescent bulbs, as they use 25% less energy and last 10 times as long. A CFL bulb will pay for itself in only nine months, and at a moderate cost, to begin with, they’re well worth the investment.
- LED: Light-Emitting Diode bulbs are perhaps the most energy efficient option available to homeowners at this time. LED bulbs can last up to 13 years, use 90% less energy than standard bulbs, and last six times as long as even CFL bulbs. They are slightly more expensive than CFL bulbs, but, given how much longer they last, the additional cost will be eliminated many times over throughout the years.
Love is fond of saying, “a little bit of something’s better than a whole lot of nothing!” While the impact of a single light bulb might seem minor on its own, on a larger scale it can make a very big difference – according to Love, if every home in America replaced just one standard bulb with an LED, it would save enough energy to light 3.5 million homes. Now that’s a bright idea!
To learn more about alternative lighting and energy efficiency in the home, get in touch with Love the Green Team at 828-279-6723 or at LoveTheGreen.org. For more information on Asheville real estate, call Asheville Cash Buyers at 828-222-6443 or visit us online at AshevilleCashBuyers.com!
