EARTH FRIENDLY ELECTRICAL

E.F. Winslow understands your frustration with rising electrical costs. These days it's more important than ever to save money, energy and the environment. By using energy efficient lighting, and turning off lights when you leave a room you can realize significant savings on your monthly electric bill.

Your Electric Bill

One quarter of the United States annual electric bill, $34 billion, comes from lighting.
More than 20% of the electricity generated in the U.S. is used for lighting alone.
About 1/2 of this energy is wasted lighting empty rooms.

Light Bulb Dimmers

Dimming saves energy and can extend bulb life. Use dimmers to allow you to control the level of light in the room. Often you don't need lights on at their full intensity to be comfortable. A 50% dimmed bulb can save 35% energy and extend bulb life up to 35 times that of a full bright bulb.

Energy-efficient Bulbs

Did you know that energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps use almost 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs for the same amount of light? Fluorescent compact bulbs last an average of 10 to 15 times longer than your heat-producing standard filament bulb, and are a phenomenal way to reduce the amount of carbon emissions added to the atmosphere. As an extra bonus, energy-efficient bulbs lower your utility bills, making them a smart long-term investment!

The environmental benefits of switching to compact fluorescent lights are substantial. For example, using a single 20-watt compact fluorescent bulb instead of a 75-watt incandescent bulb saves over 550 kWh of electricity over its lifetime. Using a CFL saves 500 pounds of coal that would release 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide and 20 pounds of sulfur dioxide, plus other harmful pollutants.

CFL Disposal
CFLs contain a small amount of mercury and should be disposed of properly, ideally recycled. More information regarding mercury in CFLs, including proper disposal options and what to do if a bulb breaks, can be found in this fact sheet from Energy Star.

Task Lighting

Use task lighting, like table and desktop lamps, with CFLs instead of room lighting. Under-cabinet lighting installed in a kitchen helps with tasks like meal preparation.

Timers

Install outdoor light fixtures with timers so lights don’t stay on all night. Remember to adjust times seasonally to save on electricity when days are longer.

Occupancy Sensors

Occupancy sensors detect activity within a certain area. They provide convenience by turning lights on automatically when someone enters a room, and reduce lighting energy use by turning lights off soon after the last occupant has left the room. Occupancy sensors must be located where they will detect occupants or occupant activity in all parts of the room. There are two types of occupancy sensors: ultrasonic and infrared. Ultrasonic sensors detect sound, while infrared sensors detect heat and motion. In addition to controlling ambient lighting in a room, they are useful for task lighting applications, such as over kitchen counters. Task lights are turned on by the motion of a person washing dishes, for example, and automatically turn off a few minutes after the person stops.