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Green Building Blog

GREEN BUILDING TIP: Design for Efficient Lighting

The right combination of task and ambient lighting can save energy

Task lighting fills in where ambient won't. Great daylighting in this house means the lights are rarely turned on during the day. In the evening, task lights above work stations—like the counter, the stove, and the island—make it easy to get the job done.
Image Credit: Daniel Morrison

A mix of lighting sources allows you to use the type of light you need: task lighting for reading, food preparation and other activities — where strong, concentrated light is helpful — or ambient lighting where more general illumination is better. Not all lights have to be on all the time, and natural light can be a significant contributor when floor plans are designed accordingly.

—_This GREEN BUILDING TIP is from our Strategy Generator. Build a tip sheet
for your green building or remodeling project under the Strategies & Details tab._


Green Points

LEED for Homes Up to 3 points may be earned for efficient lighting under EA8 (Energy & Atmosphere).

NGBS/ICC-700 Under Ch. 7 — Energy Efficiency: up to 8 pts. for Energy Star Lighting package (704.2), up to 4 pts. for home energy “dashboard” (703.4.9, 705.1)

Learn more in the Green Building Encyclopedia

LIGHTING AND PHANTOM LOADS

Further Resources

Residential Lighting Design Guide

EPA Advanced Lighting Package (ALP)

One Comment

  1. Elemental LED staff | | #1

    the right tools for the right job
    And of course having individual control of the various light sources helps, as well as appropriate technologies for various applications. LED lighting, for example, works very well as close application and task lighting.

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