• Are bulbs and lampshades free of dust and dirt that block light transmission? Dirty bulbs and shades waste the light produced inside the bulbs. As a result, you may turn on two lights when only one is really necessary.

• Are lampshades translucent (so light can pass through them) rather than solid? It doesn’t make sense to use energy to produce light, and then block the light with a solid lampshade.

• Are ceilings and walls light-colored? Light colors reflect more light than dark colors, and so fewer lamps (or lower-wattage bulbs) can be used to light the room.

• Are “non critical” lighting levels in your home kept as low as possible? As a rule of thumb, one watt of lighting per square foot of floor area is adequate for general room and hallway lighting. Use your yardstick or tape measure to make measurements. Of course,“critical” tasks (such as reading, sewing, building model airplanes, and doing your homework) require more light.

• Does every member of your family turn off lights after he or she leaves a room? Not doing this is just an out-and-out waste of valuable energy!

By the way, you may hear some people say that they purposely leave lights on.These people mistakenly believe that the sudden surge of electricity that flows through a light bulb when it is turned on represents a lot of energy. They think that keeping the bulb lit — and thereby avoiding starting surges— somehow saves energy.

They are wrong! A light bulb consumes less energy during its starting surge than during a single second of normal operation.