In today’s uncertain world, with the economy in crisis and global warming threatening our future survival, it’s no surprise that people are turning to eco-friendly alternatives, and trying to save money at the same time.  And with more and more people demanding green options (especially for the home) companies have sprung into action to fill the supply chain with newer, better, and cheaper products and services.  And while there are many inexpensive ways to reduce your carbon footprint, perhaps one of the easiest is by experimenting with eco-friendly lighting options.

The best place to start is by devising ways to incorporate more natural lighting into your home.  It is certainly cheap (you can’t beat 100% free), but finding ways to bring it indoors can get pricey, especially if the amount of light you enjoy in a given day fluctuates with changing seasons, if you suffer from limited or poor window placement, or if your house wasn’t built with natural lighting in mind (in other words, you don’t have an open floor plan).  If your climate is a cold one, you are just going to have to deal with a decided lack of sunlight during the winter months.  However, if you are facing one of the latter two difficulties, consider strategically installing a number of mirrors, large and small, throughout your house to bounce around the light that does come in.  Of if you can afford it, install more window (including skylights), or go to town and knock down some interior (non-load-bearing) walls and open up your space.  You can even invest in the latest option for bringing outdoor light in with sunlight-transport-devices that collect sunlight and transport it through fiber-optic cables to lighting fixtures in your home.  And let’s not forget solar lights.  You may think these are only for outdoor use, but there are portable options that you can leave in the sun to charge and light up later on indoors in lieu of lamps.

You can also fall back on the old-school by simply turning back the sheets when darkness falls (although this could seriously cramp your style), or by lighting a few candles.  However, open flames are, let’s face it, a fire hazard, so you might want to go for something a little more modern.  Luckily, installing energy-efficient lights doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go for all new fixtures.  Most compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), or energy-star light bulbs, will fit into your current fixtures.  They cost a little more than incandescent bulbs, but they last ten times as long and use 75% less electricity, so over the life of a single bulb, you should get your money back and then some.  You can also consider light emitting diodes (LEDs) which, until recently, were only found in items like alarms clocks, DVD players, and traffic lights.  They use up to 90% less electricity than incandescent lights and are said to last up to 60 times as long (they are also recyclable).  And if you’re really into going green (and you can afford the initial cost), another options to consider is installing solar panels to power your house with the only source of green energy that boasts absolutely no emissions.

So from cheap to expensive, there are many ways to illuminate your house and your life.  The great thing about going green with your lighting is that a little effort on your part can go a long way towards reducing waste, cutting electricity use, and keeping our planet healthy for future generations.  Although saving money feels good, saving the planet feels even better.

Kyle Mentz is a communications coordinator for Alluminare where you can find a large assortment of home lighting options.