How To Save Energy With Your Bathroom Lights

Saving energy is becoming a way of life for many people, it helps the planet and helps you and your family save money.  There are tons of different ways to do this in the bathroom, but being green is tough when it comes to bathroom lighting.  It seems like the obvious choice is to change all of your bulbs to compact fluorescent lights (CFL) but fluorescent lighting in the bathroom doesn’t work very well.  It’s harsh when compared to incandescent bulbs and creates a nasty yellow tint that makes the skin look yellow and affects the color of make up.  So what are you to do?

The first step is to look at your other light bulb choices.  Tungsten and halogen light bulbs are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs are, and they create a cool, natural light that compliments the skin’s tone.  Halogen has a more natural tone than tungsten, and it comes close to replicating natural sunlight.  These light bulbs are a bit more expensive and don’t last as long as CFL bulbs do, but they work great in the bathroom.  The trade off is that you can get away with a much lower wattage than if you used incandescent bulbs.

Another easy trick is to use a dimmer switch.  When the light is not turned on all the way, it is using less energy.  This adds ambiance to the room, especially when used with bathroom vanity lighting where lighting is generally harsh.  This also has the benefit of not shocking your eyes when you need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning since you can turn the light on only as much as you need.

Being green isn’t tough, but to do so while improving function is tough.  The steps above will do both in your bathroom.  Save money, help the planet, and improve your bathroom all at the same time!