Of Light Bulbs and Thermostats

Of Light Bulbs and Thermostats 

Getting Started along the Path at Home

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration

https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/homes.php)

residential home energy use accounts for almost a quarter of energy use in the U.S.

and about 20% of carbon emissions. 

Of our home energy uses, half comes from heating and cooling 
(the furnace, air conditioner, radiators, etc.). 
The next biggest user is water heating...

then lighting,
then the dryer,

then the refrigerator.

Infographic from:

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/what-uses-the-most-energy-home/

I choose to start with lighting.
I checked out every bulb in the house, and was surprised to find several incandescent
bulbs and several compact florescent bulbs.

Honestly, it took a small investment, but it was worth it down the line.
We bought a variety of efficient “warm white” LED bulbs, between 800 and 1600 lumens.
We sent the kids around the house on a treasure hunt to find and replace all the
old bulbs.

What the hell are lumens?

1600 lumens equals the same light output as the old 100 watt incandescent bulb some
of us grew up with, but uses only 16% of the electricity.  800 lumens are equal to the
old 60 watt bulb.

“Warm white” mimics the yellow color of old incandescent bulbs, as opposed to

the “bright white” seen in most stores.

Changing all our bulbs reduced out monthly electricity use age by 18%.
I feel good about that.

Our next step was the programmable thermostat. Previously, we had an old style that you

turn up and down manually.  With a programmable thermostat, set set it to go down at night
automatically. And we set it to do up in the morning before we rise. I goes down again,
even if we forget, during the middle of the day. Weekends are different.

The programmable thermostat brought our annual home heating oil usage down by 15%.


Following the Apprentice Path:

What can you do?

• Check out all your light bulbs.  Send the kids on a treasure hunt.  How many non-LEDs do you have?
• Did you remember the garage?  The basement?  What about all the recessed lighting?  The closets?
• Make a count.
• Replace them all.

Want free LED's?  Call your electricity provide for a home energy audit
(to be discussed in a future entry).