How much does it cost to light a typical home?

Lighting accounts for 6% of the total energy use in the average home in the United States and costs between $50 and $150 per year in electricity.

That’s not as much money as it takes to operate a heating and cooling system, but it is enough to make some energy efficiency modifications.

Lighting is a visible energy user, so it’s a great place to start teaching kids to be mindful of wasting energy.

There are several simple things you can do to keep lighting costs to a minimum.

Avoid wasting lighting energy by turning off lights when they aren’t needed.
Fluorescent lighting is much more economical than incandescent lighting. It produces about four times more light with the same amount of energy and lamps last 10 to 15 times longer.
Compact fluorescents allow you to use fluorescent lighting in places you never could before. Begin replacing your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents wherever practical.
Install occupancy sensors so lights go off automatically in unoccupied rooms.

For more information, visit horryelectric.com and spend some time in our Home Energy Library.