California’s current energy crisis has made conserving electricity a hot topic nationwide. The energy emergency is not just a California phenomenon. The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) predicts New England, New York City and Texas could experience electricity shortages as well. The result? Double-digit price increases for most of the nation and higher than expected demand for electricity.
Fortunately, homeowners can slice their electric bill without being left in the dark.  Conserving electricity can be easier than ever! According to the American Lighting Association, lights account for 25% of a homeowner’s electric bill. “Energy conservation is not simply a pocketbook issue…It’s socially responsible to not use more than your share”, says Dan Blitzer, consulting technical lighting expert for the American Lighting Association (ALA).

In addition to simply turning off lights when not using them, the ALA offers the following suggestions:
CONSIDER FLUORESCENTS
Consumers can cut costs quickly by switching from incandescent bulbs or fixtures to compact fluorescents.
SWITCH YOUR SWITCHES
Dimmers allow you to reduce lighting when you don’t need it, which saves both energy and light bulbs. Occupancy sensors turn lights off after you leave the room or shut the closet door — even if you forget.
MOVE TO MOTION DETECTORS
Motion detectors offer another bright idea for snipping the conserving electricity.
ADD CEILING FANS
Ceiling fans don’t actually lower the temperature of a room like an air conditioner. But by spinning the air, green ceiling fans create a wind chill effect that makes you feel up to eight degrees cooler.
Simply raising a thermostat setting two degrees will save about 14% on energy consumption. Studies show that setting ceiling fans to spin in a counter-clockwise pattern, will save as much as 40% off summer cooling bills — without sweltering. Simply set the thermostat a few degrees higher and flip on the ceiling fan.
GET EXPERT ADVICE
Capitol Lighting showrooms offer lighting specialists that can walk you through all of the many green, energy efficient lighting products on the market. At a Captiol Lighting showroom you get expert advice to help you make energy wise choices when lighting your home.
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