Increasing your lighting efficiency is one of the fastest and easiest ways to reduce your energy costs.

• Take the pledge to use energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs instead of standard incandescent light bulbs. Compact fluorescents typically last 10 times longer and use at least 2/3 less electricity.
• Install dimmer switches or three-way bulbs. They help control your lighting to the lowest comfortable setting. However, do not use dimmer switches for compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Urge people to turn off lights when leaving a room.
• Use "task" lighting so work and leisure activities can be carried on without lighting up an entire room.
• Choose lighter colors for walls, ceilings, floors and furniture since dark colors require higher lamp wattage for illumination.
• In lamps and fixtures with two or more sockets for incandescent light bulbs, consider using a single large bulb in one socket, rather than filling all sockets with smaller-wattage bulbs.
• Locate floor, table and hanging lamps in the corner of a room where they can reflect light from two wall surfaces and give more usable light.
• Clean lighting fixtures regularly. Dust on lamps and reflectors impairs lighting efficiency.
• Make sure that outdoor lighting is turned off during the daytime by installing photoelectric controls or timers.