We use lights every day to prevent us from bumping our toes in the middle of the night when we need that late-night snack or to help us get through the all-nighters. However, we often forget the environmental impact that can be left when we forget to turn off the lights. In 2019, the EIA estimated that the US used 219 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity for lighting. To put this in perspective a standard 500-megawatt coal power plant produces 3.5 billion kilowatt-hours per year and due to the low efficiency of power plants (about 40%) only 2,460 kWh of electricity generated per ton of coal. Therefore, it would take a lot of coal to make all that energy to power all of that electricity that was used for lights. This is a big issue since it causes us to make lots of CO2 pollution that damages the environment.
To help combat this issue, we can use our light more effectively and try to conserve energy to help reduce our carbon footprint and save a few dollars. The general rule of thumb is if you are leaving a room for more than 15 minutes then turn off the lights if you have a fluorescent bulb. If you have an incandescent bulb then the rule is to turn off the lights if you will be out of the room for more than 1 minute. It is also recommended that you look for an ENERGY STAR badge because that means the products you are buying are energy efficient and can help you save money.
When buying new blubs for your house look into getting LED or CFL because they have some of the best energy efficiencies compared to other bulbs. Utilizing these types of bulbs will save you money in the long run and you can also have a positive impact on the environment.
-Edible Landscape Initiative
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