Saving Energy On Lighting And Appliances

February 13, 2007

Most lighting and home appliances use little energy by themselves, but put them all together and they can account for as much as 18% of your home's utility expense. Here are some tips to conserve energy and save money.

LIGHTING

Light bulbs are rated in watts, a measure of the power they consume, but wattage does not tell how much light is produced; "lumens" tell that story. Lumens per watt, meanwhile, measure efficiency (like miles per gallon) and different types of light bulbs can be a different in efficiency as a compact car and a motor home.

Incandescent light bulbs (the most common bulb found in homes) have changed little in the 110 years since Edison invented them and 90% of the electricity that feeds them is still wasted as heat. They produce about 17 to 23 lumens per watt. Fluorescent bulbs, on the other hand, are three to four times more energy efficient yielding 67 to 83 lumens per watt. Going fluorescent in areas that need light for long hours each day (e.g., the kitchen) is therefore a real money saver.

Fluorescent bulbs still suffer from the misconception that their light is always a cold, harsh, clinical. Nowadays many fluorescent tubes produce warmer hues that won't make your home feel like a hospital ward. Using more fluorescent light is easy if you're building or remodeling a house, but how do you capitalize on their efficiency in older homes? Use compact fluorescent. Compact fluorescents screw into the same fixtures as normal incandescent bulbs, and an 18-watt fluorescent can produce the same lumen output as a 75-watt incandescent. Assuming average power rates of 8 cents per kilowatt hour, one compact fluorescent burned for four hours a day saves you $6.66 a year, or $13.32 a year if you burned for eight hours a day. Costing between $12 and $18 per 18-watt bulb, compact fluorescents are not economical in locations where the light is used only a few minutes a day. But in locations where the bulb burns for hours at a time, compact fluorescent pay for themselves in a year or two. Remember, too, that these bulbs last ten times longer than incandescent bulbs (9,000 to 10,000 hours of life for compact fluorescent versus 750 to 1,000 hours for incandescent), so the high initial cost isn't as outrageous as it seems. When purchasing compact fluorescent, buy those encased in glass. Some bulbs with plastic exteriors yellow over time.

Circular fluorescents can covert lamps with large shades (table lamps or hanging lamps) over to fluorescent bulbs. Replace the old incandescent bulb with a screw-in fluorescent adapter (ballast), snap the circular bulb onto this adapter, and use the lamp shade to cover the underlying apparatus. These bulbs are also excellent for converting the garage or basement over to fluorescent lighting - let the bulb show, or cover it with a clear, plastic fixture. Using two-thirds less power, circular fluorescent bulbs are available to replace 75-watt, 100-watt and 150-watt incandescent bulbs and will cost between $9 and $15. Like compact fluorescent, they also have an average life of 10,000 hours.

APPLIANCES

Energy Guide Labels have been required on all major appliances since 1980. The label shows the average energy cost for one year and allows yo to compare the operating costs of different appliances. This is an industry standard, required by federal law, so that no matter what brand of appliance you are looking at, the method comparing operating costs is identical. Consider the case of two 17-cubic foot refrigerators. Model A cost $60 more than Model B. Comparing the costs per kilowatt hour to 10.8 cents per hour, you find that the average yearly operating cost for Model A is $39 less than model B. Therefore, the savings on the operation of Model A will pay back the additional cost in less than 2 years. Since the average life span of a refrigerator is 15 years, your overall savings will be $525.

REFRIGERATORS & FREEZERS

Two major appliances with a voracious appetite for power are the refrigerator and the freezer. Refrigerators are power pigs, scarfing up to 7% of your electric bill. Because these appliances run every day, small steps taken to improve their efficiency can leap into giant savings over the course of a year. Prolong the life of the gasket sealing the refrigerator by wiping it regularly with warm water. Once the gasket starts deteriorating, you're in for a big waste of energy and money. Test the quality of the seal by closing the door on a sheet of paper. The sheet should be firmly anchored. Repeat the test along the length of the gasket. Adjust the door hinges or replace the gasket if the seal is bad. A dusty condenser coil reduces a refrigerator's efficiency and shortens it's life. Clean it several times a year with a coil brush or a soft bristle attachment on a canister-style vacuum cleaner. Unplug the refrigerator first.

A frost-free refrigerator is great, but it cost you in energy consumption and can be twice that of a manual defrost model. Top-freezer refrigerators are cheaper to buy and run than side-by-side refrigerator/freezers. Historically they also have fewer repair problems. Either type of refrigerator will give you fewer repair problems if you avoid frills like ice makers. Chest freezers use 10-15% less energy than uprights.

Each degree drop in the temperature of your refrigerator or freezer increases power consumption by 2.5% meaning you don't want the temperature any lower than necessary. On the other hand, keeping temperatures too high reduces the shelf life of your food. Use a thermometer to keep the freezer at 0 degrees F and the refrigerator at 37 degrees F.

STOVES, RANGES, AND OVENS

Generally speaking, small kitchen appliances are small energy users. A toaster will toast bread at one-third the cost of oven toasting. Portable ovens, microwave ovens, electric frying pans and other such conveniences generally use less energy for the same cooking jobs than conventional stoves.

When you need to use a stove:
Plan meals so foods can be cooked at the same time. Preheat your oven only for cakes, cookies, biscuits, and other foods containing baking powder. Pre-heating is not necessary for roasts or other meat dishes. You can lower oven heat by 25% while cooking with glass or glass ceramic baking dishes.

Save heat by not opening oven doors or lifting lids on pots when cooking with them. Fit pans to burner size and use as little water as possible when cooking with them. When preparing a dish which can be cooked either on top of the stove or in the oven, always choose the top of the stove. Burners, both gas and electric use less fuel than ovens.

Make sure that gas pilot lights are adjusted property and that electric elements and switches are in good working condition. Replace worn out oven door gaskets. Deteriorated gaskets are an expensive way to heat a kitchen.

Always use your appliances as efficiently as possible. Keep them in good repair and clean, with worn parts replaced. Read and follow the manufacturer's instructions for the proper use, cleaning, lubrication and other maintenance of all your appliances. And do with appliances as you do with incandescent lights, turn them off when they're not need.

Thanks to the NM Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Dept. and NM State University for this article

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