Written by Jenny Catton
If you want to reduce the negative environmental impact of your home, one good place to start is by looking at how you light your house.
Making small changes to your lighting could save energy and reduce your bills.
Here are some things to try:
- Try break the habit of automatically switching on a light when you enter a room. Think about whether you actually need the artificial light first? Perhaps just opening the curtains a little wider or sitting closer to the window will give you all the natural light you need.
- Think about the light bulbs you use. Standard light bulbs create a lot of heat making them incredibly inefficient. Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs and you could significantly reduce your CO₂ emissions.
- Decide whether you need to light the whole room. This is particularly important in large rooms or offices. If you are the only person using the room, it may be more practical to use a small lamp rather than switching on the main lights.
- Look at how the layout and decoration of your room affects the natural light available. Replacing thick curtains with blinds, or painting the walls in lighter colours could improve the light levels without having to resort to artificial lighting.
- Finally, remember to turn the lights off when you leave a room.
For more tips on how to make environmentally-friendly changes within your home, take a look at The Eco-Living Handbook by Sarah Callard and Diane Millis, published by Carlton Books.
