Climate change is a growing concern in North America. We’re already seeing some of its consequences, with warmer temperatures and more extreme, less predictable weather over the past decade. Nevertheless, we continue to burn massive amounts of fossil fuels to satisfy our energy needs, sending troublesome levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. How can we best combat the phenomenon? Numerous studies show that energy efficiency is the cheapest, easiest way to meet our climate goals.

Inexpensive to Deploy

The climate goals of the United States are currently defined through the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, which dictates CO2 levels that states need to meet by 2030. In a recent report, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) assessed six different studies on the effects of the new rules. In all six, there is a common thread – improving our efficiency is the most cost-effective way to achieve the standards.

The studies were conducted by a variety of different observers: the EPA, the Clean Air Task Force, Energy Ventures Analysis, National Economic Research Associates (NERA), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Rhodium/Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“Despite starting with different assumptions, all of the studies project that energy efficiency will be the most used and least-cost option for states to implement the plan, and that overall electricity consumption will decline as a result,” C2ES fellow Jason Ye writes on the organization's blog. “In addition to being relatively inexpensive to deploy on its own, energy efficiency reduces the need to build new, costly power plants in the future.”

Show Me the Money

The average consumer might be more worried about what the plan means for their household utility bills. Fortunately, the news isn’t too bad; the plan could cost the average home as much as $87 per year, or 25 cents a day – nothing to sneeze at, but not crippling to the family budget, either.

More optimistic forecasts project that households could actually save money under the Clean Power Plan. The savings would be due to an increased reliance on cheap renewable energy as well as investments in household efficiency technology, which would reduce the amount of consumption and therefore lower utility bills.

The total savings could be much greater. None of the plans take into account the savings the nation could realize by averting some of the more devastating impacts of climate change, nor do they assess improved health care outcomes that could result from a reduction in airborne pollution.

Take Climate Change Into Your Own Hands

You don't have to wait until 2030 to do your part in the fight against climate change. Look for some easy ways that you can reduce your energy consumption around the home, or ask an electrician to conduct an energy audit and point out even more ways you can cut back. The environment, not to mention your pocketbook, will thank you.

LED light bulbs and fixtures are the best alternatives for many reasons.

LED lights are available in several shades of white. These shades are referred to as a bulb’s correlated color temperature (National Institute of General Medical Sciences, states that, “Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment.”

According to writes, “Several studies have documented the importance of light in reducing depression, decreasing fatigue, improving alertness, modulating circadian rhythms, and treating conditions such as hyperbilirubinemia among infants. Further, the presence of windows in the workplace and access to daylight have been linked with increased satisfaction with the work environment.” Windows are the best method of accessing daylight, but cool white LED lights along with the right color temperatures at the right times, can have the same effect on the body.

Warmer color temperatures lead to the release of melatonin, which causes drowsiness. This is appropriate during bedtime hours, but causes problems for those who need to stay awake, such as overnight nurses and doctors. Introducing natural or cool white light to hallways, operating rooms, and nurse stations can help hospital staff, especially overnight workers, feel more alert and energetic.

EPA has a list of cleanup procedures, such as having everyone leave the room, opening a doors or windows, shutting off heat and air-conditioning systems, and other specific instructions.

Fluorescent and incandescent bulbs also emit low doses of UV radiation that can damage not only facility materials but can also damage skin and eyes. According to a CBSLA.com discusses the results of another study that had similar findings. In this article, it is said that, “. . . exposure to the (fluorescent) bulbs could lead to premature aging and cancer.”

Continued UV exposure is also harmful to the eyes. A LED lights won’t flicker or emit any color spikes. Color fluctuations and flicker can cause negative effects, such as headaches and dizziness. When used for hospital lighting, LED bulbs and fixtures can improve overall health and eliminate the possibility of additional health risks posed by fluorescent and incandescent bulbs.

Seeing colors as they truly are is critical in health care environments. Inaccurate color rendering of skin or blood could lead to a misdiagnosis or failure to see signs of infection or jaundice. The spectral graph below can be helpful in understanding the advantage of high-CRI light sources. Lights with a low CRI will show fewer colors while high-CRI lights cover more of the spectrum. A light source’s ability to show more colors increases its accuracy in revealing the true colors of people, objects, and surroundings.

FreemanWhite, a health-care-focused design firm reports, “. . .light fixtures with a high CRI . . .  help caregivers assess rashes, lesions, and skin pigmentation.” They go on to say, “In the interest of avoiding liability claims, better lighting quality can enhance a caregiver’s ability to diagnose correctly, identify reactions, prevent secondary infections, and minimize readmissions.” High-CRI LED lights can also help prevent medication errors.

Another method of LED hospital lighting control is the use of occupancy sensors. These sensors will save money beyond those that result from reduced energy consumption. Sensors will also extend the life span of bulbs and fixtures even further by turning them off when no one is in the area. These sensors are best suited for low-traffic areas.

It used to be that the moon and the stars were the brightest bulbs in the sky. But as anyone who’s flown across a city at night knows, these days, there are an awful lot of outdoor lights shining up from the ground.

Many people assume that an orange nighttime sky is just ugly, not harmful. But recently scientific studies have suggested that light pollution is more than an annoyance; it’s destroying wildlife, damaging human health and costing us a lot of extra money.

That’s why a growing number of cities and towns across the United States are drafting ordinances to try to bring the night sky back. They’re requiring that all new outdoor lighting fixtures that are installed – both commercial and residential – only shine light down onto the place that needs to be lit, not up into the atmosphere.

Known as the Dark Sky movement, these ordinances vary from town to town, but often the requirements are similar. No outdoor lighting fixtures can shine any light above a horizontal line. Instead, everything must shine down.

“We’re not saying you can’t have that aesthetic value, you just light it from the top down,” explains Johanna Duffek, Sections Coordinator with the International Dark Sky Association, a Tucson, AZ-based non-profit group that’s at the forefront of the movement.

Although the original purpose of The International Dark Sky Association was to keep the night sky pristine for astronomers, today the Dark Sky movement is gaining ground because more consumers are interested in reducing their energy usage, and when you’re not wasting light that’s going up into the sky, you can use a lower wattage bulb to achieve the same level of exterior lighting.

For example, if a homeowner used an outdoor sconce that had openings on the top and the bottom, he’d have to use a 100-watt bulb. But if he switches to a Dark Sky fixture that only allows light to shine from the bottom of the fixture, the homeowner could use a 40-watt bulb.

“It’s a more efficient use of light,” explains Tom Patterson, Director of Product Development at Hinkley Lighting, which already offers some Dark Sky light fixtures. “You can use a third of the wattage or half of the wattage and get the same amount of lumens.”

Patterson says consumer awareness of the Dark Sky movement is still very low, but he said awareness has been growing among local government leaders, and that is forcing the manufacturers to come out with more and more Dark Sky-friendly outdoor fixtures.

“Now in Arizona, in all the new construction, you’re going to have to meet the dark sky qualifications,” Patterson says. “It’s catching a little bit more momentum.” Hinkley, for example, advertises that it can make about 25 percent of its outdoor lighting fixtures Dark Sky compliant. Retailers are charged about $15 to $20 to change a regular fixture to a Dark Sky fixture.

Currently, there is no official government standard for a Dark Sky fixture, but the International Dark Sky Association has been in talks with the Department of Energy to incorporate the Dark Sky philosophy into the Energy Star program.

The International Dark Sky Association also independently evaluates fixtures from manufacturers and awards a seal of approval to all of those that meet its requirements.

So far, Duffek says the International Dark Sky Association has awarded Fixture Seals of Approval to 75 different lighting manufacturers, and while many of those have been commercial applications, Duffek says the organization is hoping to increase participation among residential lighting manufacturers.

Hubbardton Forge, for example, makes a sconce that has received the Dark Sky Fixture Seal of Approval that features a slate-colored ceramic shield around the light bulb that forces the light down. And the Minka Group has several outdoor lights with metal crowns that block the upward light.

Both Patterson and Duffek say the biggest resistance to Dark Sky fixtures isn’t coming from manufacturers but from homeowners who are afraid that less exterior lighting around their house will make them less safe.

But Duffek said homeowners need to understand that blocking light from going into the sky doesn’t mean blocking all exterior lighting. Duffek says the Dark Sky movement suggests homeowners buy outdoor lights with movement sensors that will go on if someone enters your yard, which can help alert you to danger and keep your energy usage down at the same time.

“When you keep the lighting on all the time, all you’re doing is lighting for the bad guys,” Duffek says.

Duffek says the biggest challenge now is to educate the public about the benefits of reducing light pollution and encouraging manufacturers to continue to design compliant fixtures.

“We always try to present it as a win, win, win solution,” she says.

Have you ever seen the outlets that have buttons in the center? Or perhaps ones that have a little light that you take to indicate that it is working properly? Then you’ve seen a GFCI outlet.

GFCI stands for ground-fault circuit interrupter; this is indicative of the outlet’s ability to stop the current in the circuit if there is an imbalance between the hot side of the plug and the neutral side.

There are many different circumstances in which having GFCI outlets installed could be beneficial. In fact, there are several circumstances in which building codes require the installation of them by a certified electrician.

Say, for instance, that you’re using a hair dryer and for some reason it isn’t functioning properly. The electricity may want to try and take the shortest way to the ground versus continuing to flow through the circuit. This is one way an electrocution can happen. If the current starts shifting towards the person holding the appliance, a GFCI outlet will register that and trigger in less than one-thirtieth of a second, stopping the continuation of the electric current.

GFCI outlets should be installed by an electrician in places that could experience moisture such as around the kitchen counters, the bathroom, and for outdoor outlets. As we mentioned previously, some building codes require GFCI but any homeowner should consider installing GFCI outlets throughout the house to help prevent over two-thirds of electrocutions that happen.

Contact the Electrical Gurus today for more information about GFCI outlets and how we can eliminate the hassle of installation.