Lighting your home is about aesthetics, or how pleasing to the eye and to the ambiance of a room the glow is, as much as it is about the practicality of being able to see clearly during the evening or other periods of low natural light throughout the day. You want to choose home lighting options that make sense for your decor and lifestyle, but also ones that are cost-efficient over the long haul. 

Fortunately, along with electric fuses in Jacksonville FL, and many other cities, modern lighting sources come in a variety of options that provide beautiful, glowing incandescence as well as energy efficiency, saving your money over time.

Energy Saving Incandesceents

Also known as halogen incandescents, these light bulbs increase efficiency over traditional incandescent lighting due to an interior capsule which holds gas around the filament. Halogen incandescents last about three times longer and save approximately 25 per cent over regular incandescent bulbs. In addition, these bulbs can be installed with a dimmer and come in various sizes, shapes and colors.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps

Compact fluorescent lamps, commonly known as CFLs, are those bulbs with the curly appearance. They’re compact versions of regular fluorescent lighting, hence the name. While they are initially more expensive than traditional incandescent bulbs, the cost savings of CDLs pays for itself over about 9 months and continue to be money-saving after that. This choice is about 75 percent more efficient overall than old-fashioned light bulbs.

Light Emitting Diodes

Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are an extremely efficient and bright light option. Users of this modern lighting option will see an overall energy savings of about 75 to 80 percent. LED lights come in various forms such as the more common incandescent type bulb, as well as reflector bulbs and track lighting options.

High-Intensity Discharge

High-intensity discharge, HID, lamps last longer than any other type of lighting and are thought to be the most efficient choice. While they are most often seen in outdoor use, this type of light source can also be used to illuminate large areas indoors. They do require ballasts, which translate into an additional wait time before full illumination, and they are extremely bright. Thus, this is not the most popular choice in efficient lighting.

Three-Way Light Bulbs

Three-way bulbs are a good option in lighting because they allow you to adjust the wattage used for various tasks. Thus, if you do not require a great deal of light, you can opt for the lower setting.

Photo Credit: Djun Kim