Creating Budget Friendly Ambiance in Your Home
We had a wonderful summer, but I am loving that fall is here! There is nothing like sitting at home on a nice chilly day, with a nice cup of tea while enjoying the relaxing ambiance of your home. I recently teamed up with ENERGY STAR to share with you some tips on how to create the perfect ambiance around your home on a budget.
To create that perfect ambiance in your home lighting is key. With that being said, it can be costly to our pockets utilizing lights throughout our home to create that perfect home environment. We love our beautiful lamps and chandeliers, but they can also cost us a lot with our electric bills and bulb replacement cost if not used properly. This is why using ENERGY STAR certified lighting is so very important.
TOP REASONS FOR USING
ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED
LED BULBS
A single ENERGY STAR LED bulb can save $75.00 in electricity costs over its lifetime and last more than 20 years. And with LED bulb prices dropping dramatically, you can find ENERGY STAR certified bulbs for under $5 in some stores. If every American home replaced just a single bulb with one that has earned the ENERGY STAR, we would save more than $455 million in annual energy costs. Some people might use Home Lighting Controls to further improve energy efficiency.
The reason we can save so much with and ENERGY STAR bulb is because the are energy efficient. ENERGY STAR certified LED bulbs use 90% less energy and last 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
Looking for the ENERGY STAR when purchasing LED bulbs helps you reduce your carbon footprint, protecting the environment from climate change.
Now that I have shared with you how you can afford to use all those beautiful lamps in your home, let’s talk about how to achieve the perfect color needed to get the feel that you desire. Choosing the right LED bulb color is so very important. ENERGY STAR certified bulbs are available in a wide variety of shades of white light:
This wide variety of shades allows you to customize the mood of your space. Many ENERGY STAR certified bulbs come in “warm” colors to match the yellowish light of incandescent bulbs, but you can also choose “cooler” colors with whiter or bluer light.
Here’s how to choose the Right Color:
- Light color is measured on a temperature scale referred to as Kelvin (K)
- Lower Kelvin numbers mean the light appears more yellow; higher Kelvin numbers mean the light is whiter or bluer.
- Most ENERGY STAR certified bulbs are made to match the color of incandescent bulbs at 2700-3000K
-For a whiter light look for bulbs marked 3500-4100K
-For bluer white light, look for bulbs marked 5000-6500K
The lighting facts label on the bulb packaging will help you determine which color a bulb is:
Depending on your needs for the space is how you should chose the color of your LED bulbs. If my lamp is by my favorite reading chair, then I would need a cool white color bulb in that lamp. My recommended ENERGY STAR certified LED would be a 60w daylight equivalent bulb. ENERGY STAR’s website provides you with a great resource for determining the type of lighting needed for each space in your home. The key to getting that warmth and ambiance throughout your space (even when you need the proper bulbs for function such as reading and tasking) is multiple light sources. So although you have your reading lamp you need to balance the space by placing another lamp across the room with a LED bulb that gives a warm white or yellowish color. This would be your 60w equivalent Soft White LED bulb. To balance both lamps in your space you would also use 60w equivalent Soft White LED bulbs in your ceiling fixture. In my video below you can see the results that you achieve from using this technique for giving your room balance, function and beautiful ambiance.
IMPORTANT TIPS: When shopping for the proper color bulbs remember to look for the ENERGY STAR label. This way you know that the bulb you are buying has undergone extensive testing to assure they perform as promised, for things like light quality, color and longevity. In addition to ensuring that they have the ENERGY STAR label you want to be sure to buy the same brand. This will give a consistent look in your space. Light bulbs are like paint. You can buy the same name paint in two different brands and each will give a different color. Buying the same brand with your LED’s ensures consistency with your lighting color output. And while you’re using your LED efficient bulbs it might be a good idea to couple that with a new energy provider. My friend told me that after they decided to switch energy providers they really started to see the savings. A lot of people find the process of switching energy suppliers overwhelming. This is completely understandable as there are so many unique policies and energy companies out there. Nonetheless, if you are considering changing energy provider, you might want to check out this summary of the utility services provided by Champion Energy. Sometimes making those first initial steps to get the switch started is all it takes to get your savings underway. Consequently, saving money on your electricity bills at home is one thing, but there are also ways businesses can save money on utility costs too. For example, by using a site like Utility Bidder, businesses can compare quotes from a range of different energy suppliers and find a competitive price for their gas, electricity and water needs. Reducing utility bill costs is crucial for businesses to survive in our fast paced world.
In this video I take you around my home and share with you my tips for creating that perfect budget friendly ambiance. I hope you will enjoy!
I want to thank ENERGY STAR for sponsoring this blog post. It gave me the opportunity to spread an important message along with sharing some of my tips on bringing beautiful ambiance to your space. ENERGYSTAR.gov is a great resource, provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, with all kinds of good information about how you can choose and use products in your home to save energy, save money and help protect the climate. Have a beautiful day my friends!
For more useful DIY Lighting tips with ENERGY STAR check out this helpful printable:
Great information here. Thanks for directing me to your blog Nikki!
Dear Niki,
I came across your videos via YouTube and spent the entire day with your inspirational videos. WOW truly inspired me to replicate some of your tips and tricks. One of my favorite tips is the Gold Foil printing – currently working on designing my own inspirational prints and was at a stage wondering how to and where to go. Your video it made the process so easy. Will give you a shout when I ve completed my project!! So, this is me connecting with you. I will be in touch again. Love your energy and grace. Take care and have a fabulous day. 🇬🇧🇬🇧
Hi Nikki, I have not been on your site in quite a while, but I am so happy that I have taken the time to check out some more of your videos! You have been busy, girl! I am sooooo inspired by your videos! I can hardly wait until I get time to start implementing some of the many things that you have inspired me to do. So, keep on being your beautiful, inspiring self! Zelma
Hello Nikkie,
I have been watching you videos and I love them. I am asking for the brand and color gray you painted the walls of your office in the May 4, 2016 video as well as the walpaper? I asl enjoyed watching your laundry room video.
Thank you in advance
Michelle