Green Living
Lighting Comes of 'Green' Age
You have fashionable and sensible choices when it comes to choosing eco-friendly lighting.
BY
Kimberly Stern
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photo courtesy of GE

So, What Do ‘Green’ Fixtures Look Like?
Wilson Lighting Locks & Fans shows five examples.
These attractive contemporary fixtures illustrate that Energy Star-qualified lighting has become sleek and sophisticated. This brushed nickel sconce and nine-light chandelier have edged marble glass and are from Minka-Lavery’s Paradox Collection.
This Energy Star-qualified 52-inch ceiling fan helps cut  down on cooling and heating output  The antique bronze model with medium maple blades is the Contractor from Minka-Aire.
Attractive outdoor lighting is available in many different Energy Star-qualified styles. This unique one-arm lantern detailed  in double French Scavo Glass is from Minka-Lavery’s Harrison Collection.
Even Energy Star-qualified bathroom lighting is available in modern and tasteful designs. This brushed nickel bath bar has edged marble glass and is from Minka-Lavery’s Paradox Collection.

The push to green up the environment has everyone examining their homes and lifestyles for conscientious, eco-friendly changes. Under the microscope is everything from chemical-laden household cleaners and lawn-maintenance products to energy-sucking appliances and HVAC systems. One easily accessible area of conservation is your interior and exterior lighting, including fixtures, bulbs, ceiling fans and holiday lighting.

Energy Star, the joint program of the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy, offers myriad energy-efficient products and practices. Its residential light fixture program debuted in 1997 and has evolved to answer the burgeoning landscape of consumer demands for trendy and fashionable fixtures for the home. Along with design-savvy choices comes the payoff: significant energy savings.

Energy Star-qualified fixtures register a 75-percent energy savings over incandescent lights and generate 75 percent less heat, which translates to reduced cooling loads. The CFL bulbs used in the fixtures last 10,000 hours, or 10 times longer than a traditional bulb. By replacing the bulbs in just five of your most-used fixtures, you can save about $70 a year.

Bob Wilson of Wilson Lighting Locks & Fans in Overland Park says his customers are more aware of the benefits of energy-efficient lighting. “Buying decisions are frequently influenced by whether a chandelier or lamp is Energy Star-rated,” he says.

There are more than 13,000 Energy Star-qualified light fixtures, and they aren’t synonymous with utilitarian design. Chandeliers and wall sconces can even coordinate.

Packaged with the appropriate CFL bulb, they should have the glow most of us are used to. “The CFL bulbs are bright and the light is warm in appearance, similar to incandescent,” says Alex Baker, Energy Star Lighting program manager in Washington, D.C.

But he notes that not all bulbs are created equally, especially when retrofitting an existing light fixture with a CFL. Check the lumen rating on the CFL; the higher the rating, the greater the light output. Consult the chart on the Energy Star website, www.energystar.gov, to find the appropriate bulb for any light fixture, which in turn will ensure the bulb’s optimal lifetime performance. “Also look for the Energy Star label on the CFL bulbs you purchase,” he stresses.

In addition to light fixtures for every room in the house and the bulbs for them, Energy Star also has a complete ceiling fan program with 1,500 qualified fans. “An Energy Star-qualified fan with a light kit has an energy savings of 50 percent over a conventional fan with a light kit,” Alex says, adding that there’s an additional reduction in cooling bills. “You can realize two to six degrees of cooling with a fan. That helps reduce the cooling and heating output to stay comfortable. Most people appreciate that gentle breeze rather than the blast of cool or hot air, depending on the season.”

Holiday lighting is another arena Energy Star has added to its energy-savings menu. Here also the energy savings add up to about 75 percent of incandescent light strings, this time with LEDs. Alex says the strings are more durable, and because there’s not a filament to break, that frustrating task of identifying the culprit that burnt out an entire string disappears.

Don’t Be Afraid
Some of you may have heard reports about the mercury contained in CFLs. But Craig Bernstein, environmental engineer and regional Energy Star program manager, says the amount of mercury found in a CFL is negligible. “The reality is that the mercury is the size equivalent of the tip of a ballpoint pen,” he says. “It’s about 1/100 of the mercury found in a household thermometer, or about five milligrams.”

You have a handy go-to guide for cleaning up and recycling broken and used CFL bulbs: The Energy Star website lists simple instructions under its FAQ section.

“It’s important to be conservative when cleaning up a broken bulb, especially around children,” Craig notes. “For example, ventilate the room where the broken CFL is and follow the EPA’s clean-up guidelines.”

More Conservation Methods
Because many CFLs are not dimmable, some people prefer not to use them. In that case, dimmers can still help with energy savings. “If you install a dimmer on an existing fixture that uses incandescents, you’re still actively reducing your energy consumption,” Bob says.

Kathi Vandel, owner of Weston-based LightWorks, which designs creative lighting schemes, such as the location of fixtures and appropriate bulbs, says that’s because when you dim a light, it produces less wattage. “We can set a home’s dimming system so lights will never be at 100-percent output, which helps with the bulb lifecycle costs and overall energy savings,” she explains.

She also likes occupancy sensors, which are prevalent in commercial buildings, for the home. “These help with closets and out-of-the-way spaces like storage rooms because the light turns on automatically when someone walks into the room and goes off when they exit,” she says.

Another option to curtail excessive energy usage is photo sensors, which track how much natural light comes into a room. “The lights are dimmed accordingly so there’s not waste. This is a particularly good application for large homes,” Kathi says.