Lighting

Energy used for lighting our homes can account for 10 - 12% of the total energy bill. Lighting is one of the quickest and easiest energy efficiency and conservation measures you can do and the results are immediate.

Most lighting in our homes is incandescent lighting and it is the least efficient way to light. Almost 90% of the energy used by an incandescent lamp is converted to heat and less than 10% ends up as light we can use.

The Xtreme Energy Makeover home had over 50 incandescent lamps and a few standard fluorescent lamps. Typical to homes built in the early 1970's, most rooms relied on plug lighting and not built-in fixtures.

The Xtreme Energy Makeover team addressed lighting and changed out all of the incandescent lamps and fixtures with energy-efficient standard fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and light emitting diode (LED) lighting.

Lighting Before the MakeoverLighting After the MakeoverLighting After the Makeover

Screw-in CFL Replacements

CFLs with incandescent-type screw-in bases or adapters will fit into many incandescent fixtures. Several types are available and they now come in a variety of sizes and wattages to fit almost any fixture that an incandescent lamp fits into. The following table shows a few typical incandescent lamps and the appropriate fluorescent replacements.

Incandescent CFL Replacement

  • 40-Watt 11-Watt
  • 60-Watt 15-Watt
  • 75-Watt 20-Watt
  • 75-Watt reflector 20-Watt w/reflector
  • 100-Watt 28-Watt

Skylighting

Skylights are one way to provide "free" lighting and ventilation (with an operable skylight).

Lighting Before the MakeoverLighting After the MakeoverLighting After the Makeover

Standard Skylights

Standard skylights are those that are framed and built into a roof and ceiling. Typical rectangular or square, they can be equipped with an operable skylight window to allow ventilation.

Tubular Skylights

These skylights utilized a highly reflective tube to bring light in from a dome collector on the roof to a diffuser in the living space. Because of the small amount of collector surface they do not loose or gain heat the way standard skylight do.