Change A Light Day
Today is Change A Light Day!
Change a Light Day was created so that people could be encouraged to make just one small change in their home that would result in them consuming less energy. This day is all about making impactful change through minor actions. Switching from an incandescent lightbulb to an LED lightbulb can help save energy and money, and ultimately, the environment.
Change a Light Day began back in 2005 in the state of Kentucky, when the Kentucky Office of Energy Policy decided to encourage Govoner Ernie Fletcher and his wife to proclaim this day as Change a Light Day. The office invited the First Lady Glenna Fletcher to kick off the day, hosting a public event at the governor’s mansion with students from local schools and representatives of Energy Star to celebrate the day. Throughout the state of Kentucky, people were encouraged to change at least one lightbulb in their home to an Energy Star model to help produce lower electricity rates and save money.
Fun Fact: In 1962, when he was 33, the scientist Nick Holonyak, Jr., created the first practical visible light-emitting diode (LED).
Why switch to LED lights?
When compared with incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs consume up to 90 percent less power. As LED bulbs use less power, you can expect to save a considerable amount of money on your utility bill. In addition, LED bulbs and diodes are expected to last for up to 100,000 hours. This is 11 years of operation if they are in continuous use, which is unlikely to be the case, so you can expect to get a lot longer out of them.
LED lighting produces barely any UV emissions and little infrared light. This means that LED lighting can be used in areas where there are materials and goods that are sensitive to heat. This makes them a good choice for archaeological sites, art galleries, and museums, as the LED can illuminates UV sensitive materials and objects.
Last but not least, LED lighting is ecologically friendly. These lights are free from toxic chemicals, whereas most conventional bulbs contain numerous materials that are bad for the environment, such as mercury.
Where can you buy LED lights?
Almost anywhere! Your local department store or hardware store will have some available for purchase. You can also find them here on Amazon for whatever place in your house that you think is using up the most energy and switch the lightbulb.
See how your electricity bill changes over the next few months, and if you have saved some money, then congrats! Share this holiday with your friends and colleagues and encourage them to switch to LED lightbulbs.
If you already have LED lightbulbs in your home, give yourself a pat on the back! But don’t stop there!
There are lots of other ways that you can make energy savings on this day.
Commit to making one energy-saving move in your home on this date every year, and it will make a massive difference overall. This could be anything from improving your home’s insulation to installing a smart meter. Something as simple as turning your computer off by the power supply can make a difference.