newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS -- Lighting is a big deal here in Alaska. The Land of the Midnight Sun will soon turn into the land of the 18-hour night. So if we are trying to reduce our electric bills, this may not be the favorite place to cut. But there are ways to reduce costs without affecting your quality of life.

Here’s an amazing fact: About 10 percent of the energy used by a regular incandescent light bulb goes to produce light. The rest is wasted as heat. Though heat is always nice in our cold winters, it is very inefficient heat at a very high cost.

Energy-efficient lights produce more light than heat with the electricity they use. As a result, they can provide the same amount of light as a standard bulb while using less energy. Since lighting can make up as much as 20 percent of the house energy bill, conservation here can amount to considerable savings.

Compact fluorescent lights offer the greatest potential for energy savings. These use the same technology as regular fluorescent lights you see in commercial buildings. These lights use about one-fourth the electricity of a standard bulb. You can choose bulbs with a much smaller wattage to get the light you need. They last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, so they are great to use in places where the bulbs are more difficult to change.

Halogen bulbs are another energy-efficient home lighting option. These are incandescent bulbs with halogen gas inside the bulb. This gas results in about 30 percent more light for the same amount of electricity, and the light quality is brighter and whiter. They also last about twice as long as regular incandescents.

When choosing bulbs, the new labels now required will help make your job easier. Manufacturers must show the bulb’s output (measured in lumens), how much energy is required and how long the bulb is expected to last. These labels will give you the opportunity to choose what works best for each location in your house.

The output varies with each manufacturer, so it is important to read the labels. Here are some rules of thumb. A 13- to 16-watt compact fluorescent puts out the same number of lumens as a 60-watt incandescent. A 20-watt compact fluorescent bulb equals a 75-watt incandescent bulb, and a 23- to 28-watt compact fluorescent bulb produces the same light as a 100-watt incandescent.

Regardless of the type of bulb you choose, use these tips to save energy while lighting your house:

• Turn off lights when not using them.

• Take advantage of natural night from windows.

• Don’t use more light than you need.

• Focus light where it is needed most.

• Regularly dust light bulbs and fixtures. Not only does dust obstruct light, but it shortens the life of the bulb.

• Choose lighting carefully to conserve electricity.

Roxie Rodgers Dinstel is a professor of extension in the Tanana District.