A few tips to help you Go Green and Save Money!

Energy efficient lighting can reduce energy consumption, lower utility bills, and prevent excess air pollution from power plants.  Start by saving money. The average American household spends $1,400* each year on their electric bills and up to 20% of those rising bills is consumed by electric lighting. But simply switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can cut your lighting costs by more than half.

Here are some great tips to help you Go Green!

• Replace Incandescent with Compact Fluorescents Bulbs: One of the greatest advances in energy-efficient lighting technology is the compact fluorescent bulb. When compared to the standard bulb the compact fluorescent bulb uses about a quarter of the energy and last up to four times as long. They fit many of your household or business lighting fixtures – so no fixture replacement necessary. Energy Savings up to 75%.

• Replace Commercial use Incandescent with Metal Halide Bulbs: (great for parking lot lighting) Metal Halide or “MetalArc” lamps feature innovative ceramic technology that provides high CRI and improved lamp-to-lamp color consistency. Environmental benefits include its TCLP-passing status, Lead-free glass content, Low mercury content and Lead-free base. Energy Savings up to 75%.

• Replace T12 Fluorescent Tubes with newer T8 Lamps and ballasts: Retrofit magnetically ballasted T12 fixtures with  our electronic ballasts and our T8 or T5 lamps. T8 lamps are energy saving, longer life alternatives to standard T12 fluorescent lamps. Environmental benefits include their TCLP-passing status and Low mercury content. Energy Savings up to 45%.

• Retrofit your EXIT Signs with LED Bulbs – they use less electricity and last longer. Exit signs typically contain two or more small, incandescent bulbs which use a total of 30 to 50 watts: All exit signs operate 24 hrs. a day, every day resulting in 8,760 hours of use per year. A single sign may use from 175 to 438 kwh of electricity per year and require bulb replacement two to four times per year. Our LED exit sign bulbs (light emitting diode) have an average estimated bulb life of 25 years and consume only 2 watts per sign installation. Energy Savings up to 90%

• Use Halogen or Compact Fluorescent Reflector Spot or Flood Bulbs Where Appropriate: Standard bulbs are a poor choice for recessed down lighting because they radiate light in every unnecessary direction – not just down. This causes the fixture to “trap” the light rather than radiate it. The best solution in this instance is to use a compact fluorescent reflector or halogen bulb in place of the ordinarily wasteful standard bulb. They may cost more initially but the savings will add up. You will also see a recognizable difference in the quality of lighting making your home, business or multi-family dwelling a happier and safer place to be.

Switching to a CFL can help save energy consumption by 75% and the newer LED technology can save up to 90% on your energy consumption. A typical CFL lasts around 10,000 hours while LED’s can last up to five times that amount – 50,000 hours. CFL’s should be properly recycled, while LED’s, light emitting diodes, are “eco friendly” and are usually 100% recyclable. No matter what your lighting needs may be, Priority Lighting can help you go green on almost any budget. Call us today! 800-709-1119