There’s a lot more to the cost of a light bulb than the price tag sticker. There’s the impact on your electrical bill, the tally of replacement bulbs you’ll need to buy, and the time you have to factor in for maintenance. Sure, the light bulb in your table lamp may take just a few minutes to replace, but what about your recessed cans that are two stories away from easy access?

We published an infographic on Lighting Facts, a program of the U.S. Department of Energy, created the one below, showing the five-year-cost of 100 watt equivalent light bulbs. As you can see, the low purchase cost of an incandescent light bulb doesn’t necessarily pay off in the end:

Infuse outdoor entertaining with a festive air by garlanding your gazebo, patio awning or deck railings with popular Bulbrite string lighting. It brightens up your outdoor vistas after sunset with the warm glow of vintage elan. Try connecting several strings together to create a border that keeps the dark at bay, or use a single string as a decorative accent in a seating area or your barbecue station. Because it’s so portable and versatile, it’s a great do-it-yourself hack that works in all sorts of settings.

Rope lighting really jazzes up outdoor living space with a minimum of fuss. This kind of string lighting works great in unobtrusive places like below a handrail cap to or around the edge of your deck to frame your spaces with a warm, welcoming glow. If you wish to create a more celebratory vibe, place rope lighting in plain sight like you would holiday lights, encircling structural posts with festive glimmer.

LED strip lighting is another option that saves energy while instilling your outdoor atmosphere with a distinctive verve. LED strips from WAC Lighting and Koncept are rated for use in damp places, as long as they are not exposed to the weather. Get creative with your deck lighting by incorporating strips of various lengths in covered areas like your deck or patio. Use led step lighting from some of our most popular manufacturers, including Kichler and Sea Gull Lighting, to improve visibility as well as aesthetics.

Use light as a medium to paint your landscape and make your carefully manicured plantings and special features pop at night. When you are planning your backyard lighting scheme, be sure to bring some of the following areas into focus:

• Gates and entryways

• Footpaths

• Stairs

• Fountains, waterfalls, ponds

• Statuary

• Seating areas

Solar landscape lights from Kenroy Home cast soft haloes along pathways or beside garden benches, creating an aura of enchantment. You can position solar lights as far from an electric power source as you wish, so they are ideal for the far reaches of your backyard.

Strategically placed spotlights show off your most distinctive flower beds, trees or shrubs to their best advantage while providing attractive pockets of brightness that banish shadowy corners, making your backyard more welcoming. You can also hide spotlights behind shrubbery but aim the light toward the sky, backlighting plantings while illuminating the perimeter of your home or patio. Keep in mind, though, that too much light can be as ineffective as too little. Think Cinderella’s castle rather than Times Square.

When the party is over and it’s time to retire, you can rest easy knowing that your motion sensor lighting is keeping vigil, ready to reveal any interlopers in your personal space. Wall sconces from Designers Fountain do more than just decorate your porch, deck and patio beautifully. They serve double duty as security features while your family sleeps. For locations where utility takes precedence over decorative appeal, select from our Craftmade security lights, and get the coverage you need to feel secure all night long.

PRO TIP: Ensure your outdoor light array works perfectly by using timers. You will have one less task to remember, and your landscape will always appear in its best light.

Are you looking for energy saving tips to help your business reduce annual energy costs? Businesses consume far more lighting energy than homes, so if you’re looking for a simple and cost-effective place to start, addressing your business’s lighting solutions offers ample opportunity.

“Out with the old” should be your mantra here. Incandescent light bulbs are far from efficient, emitting 90 percent of energy as heat – not light.

The curly cousin of long-tube fluorescents, CFLs can be used in place of incandescents in standard light sockets. They contain mercury and should be handled with care; however, they use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than incandescents.

Lasting 25 times longer than incandescents and using 75-80 percent less energy, LED lighting options have recently come down significantly in price. To get the most bang for your energy buck, LEDs are a top choice.

High intensity discharge lights are extremely efficient at producing large quantities of very bright light and are an excellent choice for warehouse and commercial settings. Be sure to talk to an electrician to get the best color spectrum to suit your needs.

Using 1/5 to 1/3 the energy as incandescents and lasting 10 times longer, these fluorescents offer flexibility in various commercial settings.

Twice as efficient as incandescents, halogens produce a very bright white light that is well-suited for outdoor applications such as security and stadium lighting.

Light dimmers and timers deliver just the right amount of light just when you need it, reducing energy use and costs. They also improve security while you are away and can enhance the functionality and ambiance of your business.

The future of lighting, we’re not talking battery-operated, but fully automated lighting powered by remote control and smart device applications. The technology of this solution offers you the capability to monitor usage and costs, with the added convenience of on-site and remote functionality.

Mr. Electric® will perform a complimentary evaluation of your current setup, analyzing for efficiency and function and offering lighting options that can lower your operating costs significantly.

Designed to your specifications, our experts can design custom lighting solutions that perform well and look great – all while keeping energy costs under control.

Security, landscaping, parking, retail – you name it! Whatever your lighting needs, Mr. Electric will spotlight your perfect solution.

Schedule a commercial electric energy audit today. A commercial energy audit can offer even more energy savings tips for the benefit of your bottom line. Mr. Electric can:

Don’t let excess energy costs drag your business down, get the energy saving tips you need with the help of Mr. Electric today!