Introduction
If you are thinking of buying new lighting products for your home, this booklet is for you. It will help you take energy use into account when making your purchase decisions. By avoiding models and products that waste energy and choosing efficient alternatives, you can save money through reduced electricity costs.
Energy-efficient lighting offers more than energy savings. Energy-efficient products often use more advanced technology. As well, they help preserve our limited natural resources and reduce the impact of human activities on the environment.
In the case of lighting, buying with energy efficiency in mind means paying careful attention to the type of fixture or bulb purchased and to its location in the home—details that can provide both energy savings and improved quality of lighting.
In short, the benefits of energy efficiency can add up. This booklet will tell you how to obtain these benefits when buying a variety of lighting products.
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Choosing energy-efficient lighting products for your home can reduce your overall energy costs.
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Every lighting product you buy has two price tags. We are all familiar with the first—the purchase price, which is the one you see in the store. The second price tag is less familiar but just as important: it is the cost of the energy your new fixture or light bulb will consume.
Think of the purchase price as a down payment and the ongoing operating cost as a series of monthly instal-ments you must pay until the unit is replaced. For example, a 60 W incandescent bulb you buy for $0.50 can cost you another $4.90 in electricity before it has to be replaced. Since the second price tag will cost you additional money, it should be considered when making a purchase decision (for an example of the impact of the second price tag, click here).
However, a low second price tag is not in itself a good enough reason to buy a particular product. Make sure the fixture or bulb you choose is suitable for the application and location you have in mind. Purchase price—the first price tag—will also be a factor. Some energy-efficient products can be more expensive, but the extra purchase cost can often be justified by the lower second price tag and the environmental benefits of reduced energy use.
Certain lighting products commonly used in residences—reflector lamps (typically spot and flood lights) and standard fluorescent tubes—are among more than 20 energy-using products regulated under Canada's Energy Efficiency Regulations.
The objective of these regulations is to eliminate the most energy-inefficient products from the market. As a result, some common household lamps are no longer available in stores. However, acceptable substitutes are sold that provide similar service.
The Energy Efficiency Regulations have been developed under the authority of Canada's Energy Efficiency Act, which was passed in 1992 to promote and support energy efficiency improvements across the economy. Energy efficiency saves consumers money, helps Canada maintain a competitive economy and reduces the impact of energy on the environment. By the year 2000, the elimination of inefficient lights alone is expected to save enough energy to heat 100 000 homes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an amount equivalent to the annual emissions produced by more than one million automobiles.
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