Turning the lights off after you leave a room is one of the easiest and best ways to save power and save money
We provide information, tools and programs to help our customers save power, save money and help protect the environment. Updating your home's lighting is one of the easiest ways to reduce your power consumption, which will automatically save you money and help protect the environment.
Save power
Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs use up to 75 per cent less electricity than old light bulbs and last 10 times longer.
Save the environment
If every household in our province replaced just one standard 60-watt incandescent bulb with the equivalent 13-watt CFL, we'd save enough electricity to power over 5,000 homes for an entire year. This would cut greenhouse gas emissions by over 30,000 tonnes in one year alone!
| Savings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tip 1 | Replace five 60-watt (W) incandescent light bulbs in your home with five 13-watt compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). | $40/year |
| Tip 2 | Use a motion sensor on your outside light and change your light bulb to an energy-efficient CFL (make sure your fixture is designed for CFL use). | $125/year per 150W bulb*. |
| Tip 3 | Use seasonal LEDs (SLEDs) instead of incandescent light strings. | $10/month of use. |
* When compared to a 150W incandescent bulb that was left on 24 hours a day.
Things you can do
Did you know that lighting accounts for about 21 per cent of your household electricity use every month. Here are some easy ways to reduce your power bill:
- Turn your lights off. For every hour a day you keep a 100-watt standard bulb turned off, you'll save $4 a year. The more lights you turn off, the more you'll save
- Install an automation system to control when lights go on and off
- Use a sensored LED nightlight in your hallway instead of leaving a light on all night
- Try task lighting and focus a bright light on a necessary area rather than evenly lighting the whole space. For example, use a table lamp instead of overhead lighting when reading at a desk
- Use lighter colours when painting or decorating your home—they reflect light
- Dust your light bulbs and their coverings. The cleaner the glass, the more light shines through
- Open your curtains. Sunlight is brighter than light bulbs and it's free
- Use bulbs with a lower wattage
- Install dimmer switches in your home for additional savings. The more you turn your dimmer switch down, the more you'll save
- Use fewer bulbs in multi-bulb fixtures such as chandeliers
