Light is an important factor to everyone. An efficient lighting system is, however, a more important aspect of our daily lives. Getting the best lighting option for your house that will not only serve the inevitable need for light and one that can help you save a few more cash that you could otherwise spend in paying for your electricity bill is enticing and can go a long way in making life easy.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are a type of solid-state lighting — semiconductors that convert electricity into light. Although once known mainly for indicator and traffic lights, LEDs in white light, general illumination applications are one of today’s most energy-efficient and rapidly-developing technologies. ENERGY STAR-qualified LEDs use only 20%–25% of the energy and last up to 25 times longer than the traditional incandescent bulbs they replace.

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are simply curly versions of the long tube fluorescent lights you may already have in a kitchen or garage. Because they use less electricity than traditional incandescent, typical CFLs can pay for themselves in less than nine months, and then start saving you money each month. An ENERGY STAR-qualified CFL uses about one-fourth the energy and lasts ten times longer than a comparable traditional incandescent bulb that puts out the same amount of light. A typical CFL can pay for itself in energy savings in less than 9 months and continue to save you money each month. A CFL uses about one-third the energy of a halogen incandescent.

Halogens incandescent have a capsule inside that holds gas around a filament to increase bulb efficiency. They are available in a wide range of shapes and colors, and they can be used with dimmers. Halogen incandescent bulbs meet the federal minimum energy efficiency standard, but there are now many more efficient options to meet your lighting needs.

Sourced From: http://energy.gov/energysaver/lighting-choices-save-you-money

Safety is the first concern everyone should have in mind. Electricity is a killer of many people the world over.  However, it is important to take a number of measures to alleviate any risks that may occur from mishandling of electrical appliances. Besides the other measures taken to curb any possible danger, main switches, fuses, circuit-breakers and many others are some of the equipment developed to minimize the occurrence of devastating damages in case of mishaps.

It is important that any electrical installation work is carried out only by people who are competent. This means people who have the knowledge, skills and experience needed to avoid dangers to themselves and others that electricity can create. It’s easy to make an electrical circuit work – it’s far harder to make the circuit work safely.

Main Switch

The main switch in the consumer unit (fuse box) allows you to turn off the supply to your electrical installation. Some electrical installations have more than one main switch. For example, if your home is heated by electric storage heaters, you may have a separate consumer unit for them. The consumer unit should be easy to get to, so find out where the main switch is to turn the electricity off in an emergency.

Fuses

Older homes often have re-wireable fuses which automatically disconnect the circuit to prevent danger. When a fault or overload current flows through the fuse wire, it will become hot, and melt when the current goes above a safe level. The melted fuse breaks the faulty circuit so protecting it against overloading

Circuit-breakers

Newer homes are likely to have circuit-breakers in the consumer unit which switch off a circuit if there is a fault. Circuit-breakers are similar in size to fuse-holders, but give more precise protection than fuses. When they ‘trip’, you can simply reset the switch. However, you first need to find and correct the fault.

Sourced From: http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guides-and-advice/around-the-home/how-safe-is-your-home/

Cutting down on electricity use to minimize the costs can be tricky sometimes. You may not know what time is best to use your power, or how to use it efficiently. Now this is within your reach, thanks to energy cost saving program that is within the customers’ domain. This program is just as useful to customers in encouraging them to use electricity at a time when it will cost them less.

Reducing energy use in your home saves you money, increases our energy security, and reduces the pollution that is emitted from non-renewable sources of energy. If you are planning to install a small renewable energy system to make your own electricity, such as a solar electric system or small wind turbine, reducing your electricity loads is the first step—saving you money by allowing you to purchase a smaller system.

To help reduce their peak power demands and save money, many utilities are introducing programs that encourage their customers to use electricity during off-peak hours. The programs pass on the savings to you, the customer, through rebates or reduced electricity rates.

Smart meters and home energy management systems allow customers to program how and when their home uses energy. Such programs might charge you the actual cost of power at any one time, ranging from high prices during times of peak demand to low prices during off-peak hours. If you are able to shift your power use to off-peak times — such as running your dishwasher late in the evening — these programs can save you money while helping your utility.

Time-based rates are very attractive to owners of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles since typically these vehicles are recharged at night.

Sourced From: http://energy.gov/energysaver/reducing-electricity-use-and-costs