LIGHTING
LEDs use less power & save money.
Day-lighting
Cut your power use by letting in daylight when the sun won't overheat your space. If building new construction or remodeling, extend eaves to let daylight in without overheating in summer/fall. Lighter wall colors soak up less light. Light tubes direct daylight from the sky through a reflective tube indoors. Like day-lighting through windows, the light is free and has an especially nice color.
Upgrade Bulbs
Replace incandescent bulbs now with Energy Star-rated LED bulbs to burn much less power for comparable light. Replace CFLs as they burn out; dispose of them as described below.​ LED lamps are available in "warm white," "cool white" and "daylight." Using the same color throughout the room looks best. Buy Energy Star rated bulbs to ensure quality and durability. Use this worksheet to calculate how much money and carbon you could save by switching to LED bulbs.
Troughs
Ceiling "troffer" fixtures using 4'- or 8'-long fluorescent tube lamps should be re-lamped with LEDs as soon as practical. Between the lower power use and the L&GE-KU rebates, re-lamping projects have fast paybacks. Some projects include de-lamping, wherein 2-3 LED tubes replace 4 fluorescents. Note: Converting an existing fixture from fluorescent to LEDs requires wiring around the old ballast. Contact us for add'l guidance.
Replace Exit Signs
Exit signs use power 24/7/365. Replacing incandescent exit signs with LED fixtures cuts costs quickly. Choose models with or without emergency floodlights. You will save even more money in labor costs from not having to replace burned out lamps so often.
Disposal
All fluorescent light bulbs and tube lamps contain Mercury -- a potent neurotoxin -- even the tube lamps with green end caps. Please dispose of spent fluorescent lamps properly. Visit HazBin for more info. Some Home Depot and Batteries Plus stores also accept spent lamps for proper disposal..
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Migratory Birds
Every spring and fall, millions of birds migrate through Louisville on their way between their breeding and overwintering grounds. Most songbirds migrate at night. Lights on tall buildings or aimed at the sky can attract or disorient them—causing birds to collide with windows or circle buildings until they fall from exhaustion. Learn how you can protect birds like this Kentucky Warbler, and cut your carbon and costs and at Lights Out Louisville.