Save energy while lighting your home

The average Ontario home has over 30 light fixtures. Use the following resources to light up your home up while keeping energy costs down.

In addition to the tips below, visit the Energy Hub for additional tips and tricks and explore energy saving resources for your home.

Visit Energy Hub

Comparing Bulbs

Switch to which?

Use this bulb-to-bulb comparison to see the benefits of LED lights

	Traditional incandescent	Halogen incandescent	CFL	LED
Efficiency	Very low	Low	High	Very High
Lifetime (hours)	1,000	2,500 to 5,000	5,000 to 10,000	15,000 to 50,000
Disposal	Landfill	Landfill	Hazardous waste facility	Recyclable
Dimmable?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes*

Top 5 most frequently used lights

Prioritize upgrades in these places to watch your savings light up

Kitchen Ceiling

Living Room Table

Living Room Floor

Bathroom Vanity

Outdoor Porch Light

LED Facts

A long life of savings

LED lighting uses 75% less energy, are compact, don’t emit heat and can last more than 25,000 hours

Did you know?

LEDs never actually burn out. They dim very slowly over long periods of time
They’re resistant to shock and vibrations
They stay relatively cool to the touch

Already swapped to LED?

Always match enclosed light fixtures to the right kind of LED bulbs
Ensure your dimmer switches are designed for LEDs
Exposed outdoor bulbs can be affected by extreme temperatures above 40 °C

Shape matters

Shopping made simple

LED lighting uses 75% less energy, are compact, don’t emit heat and can last more than 25,000 hours

A-Shape for floor lamps

Flood for outdoor pots or security lights

Globe for vanity and table lamps

Flame for chandeliers and wall sconces

Know the lingo

Watts

The energy a bulb uses

Lumens

The amount of brightness produced

Kelvin

The colour of the light

Watts (Incandescent) to Lumens (LED)

60W > 800lm

75W > 1,100lm

100W > 1,600lm

When replacing inefficient bulbs, be sure to match the old wattage with new lumen measurements to understand the brightness.

Colour Temperature (Kelvins)

Warmer, Yellow
2700K - 3000K

Cooler, Daylight
5000K - 6500K

Shopping Tip

While personal preferences vary, warmer yellow light is typically best for bedroom and living areas. Cooler is best for kitchens and workspaces.

Nutrition-style labels on bulb packages provide information on efficiency and appearance.

Savings beyond the bulb

These control technologies save energy by reducing lighting use, and they are among the simplest, least expensive energy-management devices available.

Perfecting timing

Programmable timers switch lights on and off at pre-set times
Portable timers plug into outlets to automatically control lamps, holiday lights, portable fans and more
In-wall permanent timers replace standard switches for programmed control of lights, heaters, motors and more

Ditch the Switch

Motion sensors automatically respond to your presence
Increase efficiency, safety and convenience
No more fumbling for switches or forgetting to turn lights off

Dim your light

Saves you energy
Enhances ambience
Dimmer switches make even incandescent bulbs more efficient