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Lighting

As the environment becomes a more pressing concern for society, more and more ways are found for individuals to be environmentally conscious and to assist the environment through more sustainable activities. By examining practices used with the lighting used to illuminate buildings, great energy savings can be obtained through actions that are inexpensive, easy, and reproducible. Over the years, different lighting options have been considered and explored to help people go green. Saving the environment is not the only benefit that comes from sustainable, or green, lighting. Along with helping the planet, refitting lighting fixtures has benefited people's wallets, greatly cutting energy costs for those who pursue green lighting options. While individual action has played a great role in reducing energy usage by replacing incandescent bulbs with more environmentally sustainable alternatives, the U.S. government has also become involved in an effort to speed the process.

Traditional Lighting Methods

For thousands of years, humans have used artificial light sources to illuminate their homes and other spaces, especially at night. Windows, skylights, and other sources of natural light are often used as the main source of light during daytime, chiefly due to their convenience and low cost. In the evenings, artificial lighting is common. Although electric lamps are the most common way to artificially light contemporary homes, gas lighting, oil lamps, and candles have all been used in the past and continue to be used today. Lighting enhances task performance and greatly adds to the aesthetics of many indoor and outdoor situations. Artificial lighting is a major cause of energy consumption and accounts for a considerable part of all energy used worldwide.

During the 19th century, experiments began with the incandescent light bulb. In 1880, Thomas Edison perfected the long-lasting filament that made electrically powered incandescent bulbs a cost-effective alternative to other methods. Incandescent bulbs quickly became the lighting method of choice across the industrialized world. Companies such as General Electric and Sylvania marketed and sold incandescent bulbs that were both reliable and inexpensive. As individuals and government agencies became more concerned about energy consumption, however, incandescent bulbs came under scrutiny. Since approximately 90 percent of the energy used by an incandescent bulb is emitted as heat, rather than used to produce visible light, those concerned with efficient use of natural resources began to seek lighting alternatives.

Alternative Lighting Sources

One of the main alternatives to incandescent lighting are compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. There are many benefits to CFL bulbs, especially when compared to a traditional light bulb. CFL bulbs save energy costs and, as a result, reduce pollution. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are also an option. Individual LEDs do not emit much light, so multiple diodes must be used together to supply the amount of illumination needed in most indoor settings. Although LEDs present a promising alternative to incandescent bulbs, LEDs are not very common or easy to use as indoor lighting at this time. However, there is hope for the future, as there have been some light bulbs launched using LED light, and there is great promise and potential for more LED usage in the future. To encourage the switch to nonincandescent bulbs, many nations are passing regulations to improve incandescent bulbs’ energy efficiency or phase them out entirely. The United States, for example, in 2007 passed the Energy Independence and Security Act, which requires all light bulbs that produce 310 to 2,600 lumens of light to be 30 percent more efficient beginning in 2012.

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