Energy-Saving Tips to Light Your Home This Summer

Summers in New England can be hot and humid, but many of us prefer the heat over bitter cold winter weather. When we see these extreme temperatures, we often also see extreme increases on our HVAC bills. When you’re planning lighting design for the upcoming summer, consider these 3 easy tips to light your home and save energy.

Landscape Lighting: Less Is More

exterior lighting and greeneryLighting the outside of your home at night is about safety and aesthetics. A sufficiently lit pathway prevents guests from falling and can help deter intruders, but also creates a beautiful scene of illuminated shrubbery.

We like to say that less is more with landscape lighting, especially during the summer, because homeowners want to keep the ambience of a warm summer night when daylight lingers until after 8pm.

It also lowers your energy costs to strategically place lighting fixtures around the yard, rather than several groups near each other. We recommend using energy-efficient LED bulbs, so you do not have to worry about the cost of keeping outside lights on all night long.

Indoor Lighting: Be in Control

There are two surefire ways to run up your electricity bill inside the home: over-lighting rooms and failing to turn the lights off when you leave. Too much light can be harsh, depending on the time of day.

Five fixtures brightening a single room at night can have the opposite effect of relaxation after a long day at work! We suggest having multiple switches with dimmers for each light source, so you can be in complete control of which lights are on and how bright they are.

Also, make it a habit in your household to turn off the lights when you leave a room. It may seem insignificant, but leaving a lamp on overnight for several days in a row can add up.

Benefits of Ceiling Fans

At Connecticut Lighting Centers, we have 180 ceiling fans on display and even more in stock. One of the great features of ceiling fans is that they are multi-dimensional. These fixtures can provide light and help circulate cool air in a hot room. Save energy this summer by turning on the ceiling fan instead of the air conditioner on milder days.

Although you will be able to raise your thermostat a few degrees without much consequence, it’s best to only run a ceiling fan when you are in the room. These fixtures are better at helping cool the people in a room, rather than the space itself.

Our lighting experts are on the showroom floor seven days and five nights a week to answer your questions. Visit our Hartford or Southington showroom to learn more about energy-saving lighting design for the summer.

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