Lighting is responsible for only a tiny percentage of your home’s overall electricity usage, with air conditioning units taking the top spot. However, creating better habits around lighting usage is one of the best ways a homeowner can make a concrete impact on their electric bill without suffering through any discomfort like turning off the A/C in hot Florida weather. Turning off lights in rooms you leave is a lot easier if your light switches allow you the opportunity in multiple locations. Most houses come standard with switches that give homeowners limited control over their lighting, but upgrading can help you build habits that save you money in the long run.
Lighting Electricity Usage
The U.S. Energy Information Administration put out a report showing the breakdown of electricity consumption in U.S. homes and lighting was a relatively small percentage. However, as space heating takes first place in their estimation, Florida homes that do not rack up a hefty heating bill undoubtedly have lighting make up a higher percentage of their total.
While we have talked in the past about ways to reduce your reliance on overhead lighting by installing lamps and lighting fixtures that only illuminate important parts of the room, the most basic advice that applies to every household is “turn off your lights when not needed.” Having multiple light switches that can control the same set of lighting fixtures helps aid in this endeavor.
Light Switch Options
Not only will a change in light switch help you reduce your electricity bill, but it can also increase your comfort and allow you to have greater control over different areas of your home.
Switch Types
Single Pole – Single Pole light switches are the run-of-the-mill variety you see in every house and room. Single pole light switches run wires directly to a fixture and have a simple on/off control scheme as the only available option for that wired fixture. While not fancy, they often do the job of controlling simple lighting like lamps.
Double Pole – The pole count of an electric switch refers to the number of circuits the switch is wired to. As opposed to a single pole switch, double pole switches can control two circuits through one flick of a switch. Ever wonder how one light switch in your home can turn on the lights and fan or two separate lamps in opposite corners? Double pole switches can handle higher levels of amperage than single poles (60 compared to 20) and are also commonly found for commercial purposes.
Three/Four Way Switch – Instead of controlling multiple circuits with one switch, these switches allow you to control one circuit from multiple locations. These are common in hallways (to let someone turn on the light at one end and off at the other), large living rooms (to accommodate the possibility of entering from multiple locations), and any room with multiple entrances. Three-way switches allow two locations to control a single circuit, and four-way switches can be added to control a light fixture from even more.
These switches are great and work well for their stated purpose, but more and more homeowners are beginning to connect all of their lighting together through the use of smart home lighting systems. Through these systems, you can turn off lights in a completely separate area of the house through voice commands or an app on your phone. They give ultimate control to the homeowner who wants to reduce their energy usage.
Promise Electric provides high-quality electrical services to the Sarasota area. If you have a problem with electrical switches or want to upgrade your home, call us today. Our master electricians will make sure your project is completed safely and professionally.
