Lighting

• Use natural daylight whenever possible. Clerestory windows and skylights can reduce your need for lighting dramatically. Solar tubes can bring light into the interior of the house without increasing heat loss. We sell Solatube light tubes.

• Put small windows in a bathroom or utility room for improved light and ventilation.

• Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescent lights (CFL's). CFL's need only a quarter of the energy to produce the same amount of light as incandescent lights. CFL's can pay for themselves in under 3 years and last 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs. CFL's more closely approximate natural sunlight. CFL's are available for outdoor use, as floodlights, and for using with dimmer switches. Find the right CFL to meet your needs with the handy tool on Environmental Defense's website.

• Turn off lights when not needed!

• For a comprehensive discussion of lighting, see this excellent hand-out from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.