Eco-Friendly Lighting: Everything You Need to Know

Climate change is real and thankfully, the world is taking note. Countries all around the world are coming together to fight environmental degradation and are devising plans to combat climate change with eco-friendly practices. Keeping up with the trend, the buzzwords now are sustainability and environment-friendly. 

Indeed, one of the biggest challenges that the world is facing today is a massive resource and energy crisis. There is no doubt that sustainability and efficiency are the need of the hour now. There is a rising need for eco-friendly products for non-commercial as well as commercial purposes. And Eco-friendly lighting is just another step in that direction. 

Read on to know all about eco-friendly lighting, from what it is and its many benefits to why you should consider using them. 

What is eco-friendly lighting?

There is no specific definition of eco-friendly lighting. It mainly refers to lighting products and solutions which has no or minimal negative impact on the environment. Proper eco-friendly lighting would include all the different parts of lighting such as the lighting fixtures, bulbs as well as a power source, and every part should have minimal negative effects on the environment. Such a lighting system must also be highly sustainable and efficient. 

Eco-friendly lighting solutions are available for indoor as well as outdoor lighting. Apart from being used in homes, these lighting solutions are now being extensively used in offices, large commercial spaces, roads, and even in industrial setups. 

Along with being environment-friendly, there are many other benefits of these lighting solutions and we will discuss some of the most important ones next in this article. 

Most important benefits of eco-friendly lighting solutions

Eco-friendly lights are the future and they are being widely adopted and accepted globally for their features and benefits. Let us take a look at some of the biggest benefits of using environment-friendly lighting solutions:

• Helps in preserving non-renewable sources of energy

Using non-renewable sources of energy for power generation exhausts the power sources for the future. Moreover, they impact the environment negatively. Depletion of non-renewable sources of energy is a grave concern for the whole world and efforts are being made to change to more sustainable means of energy. Instead of using non-renewable sources of energy, there is an emphasis on using natural resources like wind, solar, and hydropower for energy generation. These resources don’t get depleted even when harnessed to a great extent. 

Hence, by making renewable resources of energy more commonplace for use in homes and other places, eco-friendly lighting can help greatly reduce non-renewable energy wastage. 

• Helps in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

When fossil fuels are used for generating electricity, there is a release of harmful greenhouse gases. These gases are strongly associated with negative environmental impacts and contribute to global warming at the same time. One of the most effective ways of minimizing these emissions is to reduce the use of non-renewable sources of energy. 

With the use of eco-friendly light bulbs, you need less energy for illumination and strong light output. Along with being energy-efficient, these bulbs are low on maintenance and are durable as well, thus reducing non-renewable energy wastage.

• Does not contain toxic elements

The majority of traditional incandescent lighting solutions contain mercury or other toxic elements. As these bulbs cannot be recycled, they end up in landfills causing toxic pollution to the environment. They also contaminate landfills and cause damage to the surrounding locality. 

Eco-friendly lighting solutions have no toxic elements or compounds in them. They can be recycled as well, which reduces landfill contamination and environmental pollution. 

• Durable and long-lasting

Durability is one of the most important reasons why people are resorting to eco-friendly lighting solutions. Most eco-friendly lights are now designed for longevity. Once you install an eco-friendly light, it will keep on working for years to come without any impact on its luminosity. Hence, you will not need to replace these bulbs for years, thereby reducing wastage. 

• Cost-effective solutions

Eco-friendly lighting systems are not only good for the environment, but they are cost-effective as well. The initial price of these lights might be high, but their longevity and maintenance-free features, make them worth it. They are also energy-efficient and low on consumption. You can save good amounts of money on your monthly energy bills with these lighting solutions. 

Eco-friendly lighting options

If you are looking for eco-friendly lighting solutions for your home or commercial space, make sure you choose wisely from the many options available in India. 

Here are some of the most popular and good quality eco-friendly lighting options you can choose from:

• Solar-powered lights

The first name that comes to mind while talking about eco-friendly lighting options is solar-powered lights. The ultimate eco-friendly lighting solutions, these are extremely durable lights running for years without the need for maintenance and repair. 

For using solar lights, there should be outdoor solar panels, which will charge up with sunlight during the daytime. The power remains reserved and can illuminate spaces throughout the night and sometimes even longer. Solar panels are generally installed on roofs or open spaces so that they can capture maximum solar energy. This energy can then be reserved for future use. 

Installing solar panels might seem to be an upfront investment in the initial stages. However, solar power is one of the most sustainable and effective lighting solutions in the long run. Along with protecting the environment, this solution helps in lowering power consumption, thus saving on energy bills. 

Read More: Make Your Home Equipped with Automated Lighting System

If you are not ready to install solar panels and are still looking for energy-efficient lighting solutions, there is an interesting alternative. For certain lighting features, you can harness solar energy. Various kinds of outdoor lamps and lightbulbs are available, which are powered by solar energy. These lights store solar energy during the day and use the same for illuminating the lights at night. These bulbs and lights are slightly more expensive than normal lights, but the cost is worth it!

Solar-powered lights and bulbs are highly convenient for outdoor use like the patio, deck, garden, or porch of the house. In many places, normal street lights are being replaced by these sustainable lighting solutions so that there is minimal energy consumption. It is evident why solar lighting solutions are being termed the lighting of the future. 

• LED lights

LED (light emitting diode) bulbs and lights have become a highly preferred choice for people for their home or other spaces' lighting solutions. In comparison to traditional bulbs, LED lights require almost 90% less energy for light emission. This calls for efficient energy savings and saving on electricity consumption bills. LED lights are also brighter when compared to traditional lighting sources such as filament bulbs. 

LEDs are being extensively used in homes as well as in commercial places. Environmentally conscious people have changed to LED lights for illuminating their spaces. The best thing is that these lights have low wattage thus reducing power consumption significantly. Moreover, they are more luminous than other lights and can light up a space more effectively. 

When it comes to the efficiency of LED bulbs, they are 75% more efficient when compared to incandescent bulbs. The reason is that they lose every small amount of energy as heat. As there is less heat loss, energy is invested in generating light. Thus, LED lights are brighter than normal incandescent bulbs. 

Longevity is another factor which has made LED bulbs extremely popular in households and other commercial places. These bulbs last for more than 10 years even if they are used for almost 10 hours per day on average. Moreover, these lights need no additional maintenance during their tenure. Once fitted, you will not need to change your LED light bulbs anytime soon. 

Purchasing LED bulbs might seem to be expensive initially, but their lifespan, energy efficiency, and performance are worth the investment. In the long run, the investment would surely seem to be cost-effective. 

• Recyclable bulbs

If installing solar lights or LED lights is not a feasible option for you right at the moment, you can always go for recyclable bulbs. These are eco-friendly lighting solutions, which don’t impact the environment negatively at the end of their use because they do not contribute to landfills.

Incandescent bulbs, which were used previously, were not environment-friendly. They couldn’t be reused and hence they ended up in landfills. This led to the contamination of local ecosystems with toxic mercury. The landfill sites were also negatively impacted. 

Bulbs that are manufactured now are recyclable. Along with being energy-efficient, these bulbs help in conserving resources and energy to a great extent. 

Eco-friendly lighting solutions from Schneider Electric

Eco-friendly lights are the future of lighting systems. These sustainable and efficient lighting systems are sure to replace all other lighting systems soon. 

And when looking for eco-friendly lighting options, Schneider Electric eshop is your one-stop destination. A quality brand for all things electrical, Schneider Electric eshop houses varieties of eco-friendly lights.  You can choose the one that suits your requirements the best.