Cost-Effective Tips for Lighting Your Home This Winter

Did you know? In Alaska, about 15% of home energy use comes from lighting and appliances.

We all want our homes to feel cozy and bright during the dark winter months and lighting your home doesn’t have to break your budget. If you’re looking for ways to reduce your home energy bills this winter, your lighting presents opportunities to save. From AHFC’s department of Research and Rural Development, here are simple steps to try:

• Turn off the lights when they are not in use - Walk through your home and check which lights might be left on longer than you realized. If you tend to leave your porch light on all night, consider installing motion-activated sensor lights instead.
• Use timers and occupancy sensors - These devices automatically turn off lights when they are not being used. If you like to leave lights on when you aren’t home for safety reasons, programming a timer so the lights turn on for only an hour or two can be a better solution than leaving lights on all the time.
• Look for ENERGY STAR light fixtures and lamps - These options use one quarter of the energy of traditional fixtures and lamps and last longer.
• Use energy efficient bulbs - Begin by replacing lights used more than two hours per day.​​​​​​​
• Use dimmers for LED bulbs - Dimming LED light bulbs reduces their wattage, helping them to last longer and saving you money. With incandescent lighting, dimming can actually make the bulbs less efficient.

Did you know? Energy-efficient light bulbs can cost more than incandescent but they last up to 25 times longer and save you money off your energy bill.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Get Energy Saving Tips from AHFC’s department of Research and Rural Development, including information on insulation, heating, home safety and more.