It is no secret that lighting is a crucial element of every good home design. No matter how much effort you put into decorating your home, it’s not going to look great unless you use lighting cleverly. Unfortunately, using too much artificial light can drain your budget. Not only this, but standard bulbs have hazardous effect on the environment as well. Having all of this in mind, it’s always a good idea to turn to some cheap and eco-friendly options. Here are 5 tips that will help you optimize your home for cheaper and greener lighting.
Use Paint Cleverly
A great way to increase brightness in any room is to use a lighter palette when painting the walls and ceilings. This is especially the case with walls that are facing a window. If you paint the walls and ceilings in such a way, less energy will be require to light your home. Still, this isn’t the only way you can go green when painting or repainting. There are also low-VOC and no-VOC paints with no or the lowest percentage of volatile organic compounds. Volatile organic compounds emit hazardous gases and it’s always a good idea to use greener alternatives.
Get More Natural Light
One of the best ways to make your home more eco-friendly is to get the most of the sun’s clean energy. There are many different ways you can maximize your use of natural light. First of all, installing new windows is always an option. Even though installing new windows can be expensive, bear in mind that all the money you spend on it will pay off by cutting your energy bills. There are also roof panels that collect energy and distribute it around the home by using fiber optics.
Think About Dimming Options
Quite often when installing new lighting fixtures, people go for more powerful lights than they actually need. Also, there are some multifunctional rooms that require both powerful and ambience lighting. A great solution for this is the use of dimming options. Today, you can easily get dimmable LED lights that are great for just any room. These are absolutely perfect for every homeowner, especially for those who enjoy relaxing in their living room and bathroom. When you dim the lights down, not only will you reduce your bills by using less energy, but you will also aid in preserving nature.
Use the Right Lights
Overhead lights are something every homeowner needs. These are an absolute must for spaces such as kitchens and workshops. But if you want to go green, you should always turn to different types of lights in all the other rooms. Free-standing and table lamps are great for lighting specific areas of your home without using too much energy. Another great way to avoid using standard overhead lights is to turn to eco-friendly LED downlights. These use much less energy and thus reduce your energy bill and your carbon footprint.
Go for Multiple Switches and Motion Sensors
Another great thing you can do in order to use less energy is install multiple switches for areas with a selection of lighting options. This gives you more control and allows you to provide only certain parts of that area with light. This is especially the case with outdoor areas in big backyards. Another great way to reduce wasting energy in outdoor areas is installing lights with motion sensors. Using only the lights you actually need means no energy will go wasted. Even though it doesn’t seem like a big deal, using multiple switches and motion sensors will significantly reduce your bills and turn your home greener.
Make sure you do all of these things, and the amount of energy you use on lighting is guaranteed to decrease. This will do wonders for both your wallet and the environment.
Leave a Reply