Lights Out!

Ever wonder why your electrical bill runs high every month? Couldn't you figure out what's causing it to be like that in the first place? Perhaps you're unknowingly wasting energy on lights. You may not think much about it, but your lights, when they join forces, can rake in the bills if you don't use them wisely.

If you don’t know where to start handling your light usage wisely, start off with making a habit of turning off lights that are not needed and just leaving those that are enough to comfortably illuminate the area you’re in. If you're leaving a room, turn off all the lights even if you're planning to come back after a while. Switching them off and on again isn't that difficult so there’s no reason to be lazy about it. 

During the day, open the windows and blinds to let natural sunlight enter your room. At night or during days where sunlight is not that bright, use fluorescent lamps rather than incandescent bulbs, which cost more and don't last as long. Occasionally use candles, particularly when hosting parties and entertaining guests. The soft candlelight is much cheaper than electrical light, and provides a soft natural atmosphere the latter can't give.

If you can’t sleep without a light on, and if you leave it on until you wake up in the morning, use a small nightlight beside your bed instead of leaving on your bedroom’s overhead light. Once you make that switch, you’ll be amazed at how much money you can save.

Use "task lighting" which is focusing the light only where it's needed instead of trying to illuminate the entire room. This not only saves you money, but it actually adds an alluring touch to your house. Instead of turning on all overhead lights, a spotlight or a lampshade in your living room area provides enough light and just the right touch of glamour. 

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Channel Title: Home-Improvement:Energy-Efficiency Articles from EzineArticles.com

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• Alternative Power For Home System
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• DIY Solar Panels For Residential Homes
  The energy from the sun is free so using the energy from the sun to power your appliances will also be free. By building your own solar panels you will spend only about a tenth of what you would spend to buy one already made. Basically, a trip to the hardware store is all you need to get started.
• Renewable Solar Energy
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• Energy Efficient House Design - Using Thermal Performance Assessment Techniques
  This article explains how residential building thermal performance assessment techniques can be used to design energy efficient houses. The factors affecting the energy efficiency of a house are described.
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  Magnet generators used to be the stuff of science fiction and could only be built by highly qualified technicians in laboratory conditions. Of course, like most technology, the process has now been simplified to the point where its possible to build your own fully working magnet generator that is capable of providing you with free electricity for many years. Just think how much money this could save you on your domestic utility bills. So, how is this possible and how can you get started?
• Free Plans For Homemade Solar Panel Systems
  It only takes a quick search on the internet to bring up a number of free plans for building and installing your own solar panels. But are these plans reliable? As with all things free, there is usually a catch.
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  Once you decide to install solar energy system, either you or your solar installer will need to contact the California Solar Incentive program administrator. You will have to apply for a solar incentive and you'll have to arrange for your system to be connected to your local utility company.
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