{"id":6913,"date":"2021-11-01T09:00:49","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T16:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bpmelectric.com\/?p=6913"},"modified":"2021-10-28T11:00:28","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T18:00:28","slug":"5-tips-to-save-money-with-your-lighting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/174.142.205.70\/~bpmelectric\/5-tips-to-save-money-with-your-lighting\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips to Save Money with Your Lighting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just like that daily stop at your local coffee shop, little electrical expenses can quickly add up. Before you know it, your hydro bill is higher than ever, and you\u2019re stuck scratching your head trying to get to the root of it. While keeping a residential or commercial building lit comes at a cost, there are ways to minimize these expenses. Here are 5 ways you can save money with your electrical services today:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Switch to Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs<\/h3>\n

While energy efficient bulbs aren\u2019t new on the market, you may be surprised just how any people still use outdated bulbs. According to BC Hydro<\/a>, incandescent bulbs \u201cremain the mostly widely used type of bulb in BC,\u201d outnumbering the more energy efficient LED option.<\/p>\n

Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs became popular as an energy-efficient alternative to Thomas Edison\u2019s original incandescent bulb back in the 1970s. However, both incandescent and CFL bulbs have been discontinued<\/a> in Canada and are no longer being manufactured due to their negative environmental impact.<\/p>\n

What makes LED the best option environmentally? For starters, LED bulbs are an energy efficient alternative to traditional bulbs, as they don\u2019t use gas to emit light. Rather, LEDs use technology like a cell phone or microwave where electrons move around a semiconductor to light up. Furthermore, LED light bulbs have the longest lifespan. While traditional incandescent bulbs last between 750 to 1,000 hours and CFL bulbs up to 8,000 hours, many LED light bulbs last up to 50,000 hours. At nearly 50 times the lifespan of traditional options, you\u2019ll save money on the bulbs alone.<\/p>\n

How much of a difference does a bulb make to your electrical costs? The average home<\/a> has 40 light bulbs, which makes up for roughly 20 percent of your utility bill. If these 40 bulbs aren\u2019t optimized, your bills can increase significantly. Here\u2019s a breakdown of the cost to run different bulbs in the average home:<\/p>\n