I recently had the opportunity to makeover a room in my home using GE Energy Efficient light bulbs. How does this constitute a “makeover,” you might be wondering. Well for one thing, you would be amazed how simply changing the lighting in a room can change the whole mood. Lighting — how much, how little, and what type you choose — creates ambiance and sets the tone for a room. Add or subtract lighting in a room, and see what a difference it makes. Add a lamp, or change the wattage in your overhead lights. It really does change the entire room’s atmosphere!
Aside from ambiance, GE energy efficient bulbs actually save you money, and who doesn’t like to save money? For this little “lighting makeover,” I opted to change the lighting in our guest bedroom. I am working on making over that room in general, and right now it’s pretty much a blank slate. I thought lighting would be a great starting point as far as making the room feel more inviting. Right now there is a table lamp and a ceiling fan, both with basic, standard light bulbs.
The first thing I did was head to Walmart in search of GE light bulbs for my #GELighting Makeover.
So many options! |
Here are the GE Energy Smart Bulbs that I was looking for. |
Here are the light bulbs that I chose. |
I took the whole family with me, and clearly that was a mistake. We went in for light bulbs and ended up leaving with a cart full of stuff! But the prices were great, so I can’t complain. For more photos and info about my shopping trip, check out my Google+ Album!
When I got home, it was lighting makeover time. I opted for a GE Reveal bulb for the side table lamp, and GE Energy Smart bulbs for the ceiling fan. Check out the Before and After photos below. You really can see the difference.
Lamp Before |
Lamp After |
Ceiling Fan Before |
Ceiling Fan (and lamp) After |
Instantly the room was brighter and the mood in the room had changed. And my mood changed too because I knew that I was saving money. Bonus! And guess what, I can find out exactly how much money I really am saving by using this awesome GE Energy Smart CFL Savings Calculator. Check it out and find out how much you could be saving too! With just the 5 bulbs I changed, I am saving around $33.00 per year, or $180.00 over the life of the bulbs. That’s just for one room! Imagine how much you could save if you changed your bulbs throughout your entire house. Yes, the bulbs cost a little more money upfront than regular old light bulbs. But when you think about how long they last and how much money you are saving in the long run, it is totally worth it. For instance, I paid around $8.00 for the Reveal bulb and about $15.00 for a 6 pack of Energy Smart bulbs for the ceiling fan, but I won’t have to change any of those bulbs for a few years. Yes, years! The Reveal bulb lasts a little over 7 years (on average), and the Energy Smart bulbs last around 5 years. So it may seem like you are paying less for a regular bulb but you are changing them much more frequently, and therefore you are spending more. The energy smart CFL bulbs use up to 75% less energy and last up to 10 times longer than regular bulbs. I’ll definitely be using them from now on throughout my home.
Hopefully my guests will enjoy the new lighter, brighter atmosphere when they come to visit!
Aside from changing over to energy efficient light bulbs, I am trying to do better at saving energy (and money!) in general by turning off lights when I leave the room and making sure all lights are turned off before we leave the house. I’ve been really bad about this in the past, but this is something we can all easily do to save energy.
To find out more about energy efficient light bulbs and to explore your options, visit GELighting.com, or connect with GE on Twitter and Facebook.
Interested in purchasing new GE energy efficient light bulbs? Download and print the coupon below: