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The dilemma is how to get the most attractive lighting in and around your home while keeping your electric bill down. Let’s start with some facts about home electric costs. If your home was built before 1990, chances are that it uses more electricity than homes built after 1990. Energy efficiency just wasn’t a major concern in this country (and elsewhere in the world) before the 1990s. Another interesting fact is that most energy experts agree that major appliances are the primary energy hogs in our homes and lighting costs only amount to about 20% to 25% of our electric bills.

Nonetheless, 25% of a $186 electric bill is still a pretty hefty chunk of the average homeowner’s budget.

Before we get into some detailed suggestions, there are some initial, practical suggestions regarding how to keep that electric bill relatively tame. In terms of major appliances, use cost-saving settings whenever possible. If you use an electric dryer, make sure you dry full rather than partial loads. Even though you may have a number of gas appliances, they still use a certain amount of electricity so make sure to use them in such a way that electrical consumption is minimized.

Ceiling fans can also be an effective means of reducing energy consumption. Although the ceiling fan doesn’t actually make the temperature warmer or cooler, the motion of the air makes it feel that way which, in turn, allows you to set the thermostat at a more cost-effective level.

In terms of some lighting conservation basics, get into the habit of always turning off any lights when they’re not needed. Leaving the porch light on all night is a tradition that many people observe. The original thinking was around issues of security. In some areas of this and other countries, security is still an issue and leaving the outside light on all night is probably still a good idea (although there are no statistics that I’m aware of that this deters burglary or break-ins). If you live in a relatively secure and safe area, don’t turn the outside porch light(s) on unless you’re expecting guests or a family member typically comes home after dark.

If your lamps have several brightness settings, don’t always select the brightest setting. See if you can get buy on one of the lower settings without causing eyestrain or difficulty in reading. Incandescent bulbs and fixtures are among the worst offenders when it comes to wasting energy. Their basic design results in the majority of energy creating heat rather than light to say nothing of the mounting evidence that points to the incandescent light as a significant source of air pollution. The primary appeal of the incandescent bulb is that they are relatively inexpensive, can be found in a variety of stores (including supermarkets) and are available in a wide variety of sizes and shapes.

Selecting energy saving light bulbs will result in greater lighting efficiency since the electric current passes through the gas in the bulb, lighting it without causing wasteful heat. An important feature when it comes to buying an energy saving bulb, is that a lower wattage bulb will give you the equivalent illumination that a higher wattage incandescent bulb does. For example, you can replace a 60W incandescent bulb with a 13W to 18W energy saving bulb. Another important consideration is that the energy saving bulb can last up to twelve times longer than its traditional counterpart, saving you up to twenty dollars a year per fixture.

One of the best ways to conserve electrical energy is to replace incandescent fixtures and bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Now available in hundreds of colors, the fluorescent bulb uses about a third of the energy used by an incandescent bulb and generally lasts 15 to 20 times longer. Although energy savings bulbs cost more per unit than an incandescent bulb, the difference in cost will be made up by the bulb’s efficiency and length of life.

Some additional energy-saving ideas include using dimmer switches to set the lighting level at just the right level, layering light and using outdoor motion detectors that illuminate only when motion is detected.

This article presents just a few of the ways you can conserve on energy and make your electric bills less of a shock (excuse the pun).