Another Earth Day is nearly upon us, coming up on April 22. 

Unfortunately, due to restrictions from COVID-19 and requirements to socially distance to keep everyone safe, participating in large Earth Day events will be a challenge this year. This does not need to halt the celebration altogether, though. There are still ways to honor our environment, right from the comfort of our own homes, and one of those ways is by rethinking how you use lighting in your home. 

Simple Ways to Make a Difference

When it comes to ways of promoting a sustainable environment, think about the lighting in your home. There are a lot of little actions that can go a long way for our environment such as: turning off unused lights, switching to LED lights, using smart home lighting to have lights on timers, and purchasing Energy Star certified lighting products and bulbs. Not only do these actions help to save our environment for future generations, but they help keep money in your pocket. 

One action specifically that can really make a difference in our environment is by purchasing Energy Star certified lighting. 

Protecting the Environment with Your In-Home Lighting

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or more commonly known as the EPA, oversees the Energy Star program, which serves as a symbol to you that a product is proven to help save the environment. Energy Star certified lighting uses 90% less energy, distributes light more efficiently and effectively, and lasts 15 times longer than other alternatives. 

Since 1992, Energy Star has saved more than 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and reduced greenhouse gases by 3.5 billion metric tons. To simplify, this number is equivalent to the emissions that come from 750 million cars, almost 3 times the number of cars driven in the United States each year. 

At Koda, we are committed to creating a sustainable environment every single day, not just on Earth Day. That’s why we’ve partnered with the EPA and Energy Star in their goal to save $1.5 billion dollars in annual energy bills and prevent 17 billion pounds of annual greenhouse gas emissions this year. We want to help not only spread awareness that you can use lighting to create a better and more sustainable tomorrow, but also help you to make the switch to LED, Energy Star certified lighting.

How to Shop Energy Efficient Lighting

The easiest step in shopping for energy efficient lighting is to look for the Energy Star certified logo on product packaging. That is a clear indicator that you are purchasing a product that uses less energy and lasts much longer. A great example of this is the Koda LED Ceiling Light with Mood Lighting. 

The second component is to choose Energy Star certified light bulbs to replace any existing halogen or incandescent light bulbs in your home. Energy-efficient light bulbs use up to 80% less power than traditional incandescent bulbs and they also last much longer. A 60-watt incandescent light bulb, for example, lasts around 1,000 hours, and costs around $4.80 per year to run, in comparison to a 12-watt LED light bulb, which lasts about 25,000 hours and will cost about $1.00 per year to run. These numbers are based on using the bulb around two hours per day. 

When compared to halogens, LED lights use less power overall. To produce the same amount of light, halogens use about 90 watts of power, compared to LEDs, which use about 8 watts. 

The great thing about Energy Star certified products is that energy efficiency doesn’t necessarily have to cost more as you have seen from the examples above. You can find lots of great certified products at low or affordable prices at in-store and online retailers around the world including our very own Kodabuilt.com.

Let’s Change the World Together 

As an everyday shopper, you hold the greatest power in creating this transformational change our world needs. Buying products that are energy Star certified is just the beginning of what can be done, but as a baby step that everyone can take.

Don’t underestimate your power to create change. As you take one small step alongside millions of others, we create a positive movement that is impactful and tangible in our world. As we celebrate this 51th anniversary of Earth Day, let’s make this year a year of positive change in our environment because together we can light the way for a better tomorrow.