Efficient Lighting

Lately, it’s become well-known that the incandescent bulbs we’ve always used to light our homes are fairly inefficient. Most home supply stores now stock a wide variety of compact fluorescent (CFL) fixtures that last ten times longer and consume only a quarter of the energy of comparable incandescent bulbs. Current CFL technology has its limitations, though. For example, they typically can’t be used with dimmer switches, and they have difficulty producing the warm, full-spectrum colour that we’re used to. Therefore, CFL fixtures are best used in areas that need long-term illumination such as hallways, garages, porches, and the like.

The Program requires that the light fixtures in these areas of the house use non-incandescent light bulbs, be that CFL or another leading-edge technology like light-emitting diode (LED). From our perspective, we don’t mind what gets used, as long as it’s not incandescent! Remember to plan lighting with its usage in mind, ensuring that there’s plenty of warm lighting available in the main living spaces while maximizing energy-efficient lighting usage where appropriate.

By-law Language:

12.2.2.1. Light Fixtures

1) All hard wired, electrically powered light fixtures located in bedrooms, closets, service rooms, storage areas, garages, or carports, or on the exterior of a dwelling, shall be provided with non-incandescent light bulbs.

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