McLEAN, Va. – Sept. 24, 2018 – If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to replace your incandescent and florescent bulbs with LED lights, as they sip rather than gulp electricity.

They cost more – so perhaps wait for a big sale or seasonal rebates – but you’ll save money in the long run. A 60-watt equivalent, for instance, might only need 7 to 8.5 watts for comparable visibility, or lumens, with an LED light, not to mention they can last considerably longer.

Take an A19 EcoSmart-brand LED bulb as an example. It offers an estimated energy cost of just over a $1 per year (based on a national average), which will save you roughly $84 over its 15,000-hour lifetime. A 4-pack of dimmable EcoSmart LED bulbs costs about $9.

My wife and I bit the bullet last year and replaced every single light in and outside our home with LEDs – from pot lights and regular (A19) bulbs to tiny chandelier lights and large front yard flood lights – and our utility bills dropped significantly.

Wi-Fi-enabled Smart LED bulbs from companies like Philips and TP-Link cost more, as you would expect, but they can save even more, thanks to the ability to set schedules and timers, remotely access your lights (turning them off via an app), or, when coupled with sensors, have the lights go off when you leave the room. Smart LEDs also let you use your voice to control them (via Amazon Alexa or Google) or you can change between millions of colors or preset scenes.

Smart LED bulbs start at about $70 for Philips HUE White A19 LED Starter Kit (60W equivalent), which includes two bulbs and a wireless bridge (hub). A 50-Watt Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb from TP-Link costs about $20. No hub is required; it works with your Wi-Fi router.

Smart thermostats

Using an app or your voice, programmable thermostats let you conveniently adjust heating and cooling settings – plus some automatically optimize settings based on when you’re home and when you’re not.

By learning your schedule, sensing occupancy (with some models), and detecting the weather outside, it’s estimated smart thermostats could shave off up to a quarter of your annual heating and cooling bills. Depending on where you live, that could be quite significant.

In other words, unless you have relatives or pets at home, there’s no reason why your air conditioning (in the summer) or furnace (in the winter) needs to be cranked when you’re not there.

Even better than Google Nest, in my opinion, is ecobee4 ($249), a smart Wi-Fi thermostat that works with room sensors to help manage hot or cold spots in your home, detecting if someone is there, and delivering the optimal temperature to individual rooms. You get one sensor in the box, along with the thermostat, but it supports up to 32 sensors. A two-pack of sensors costs $79.

There’s also built-in Amazon Alexa support via its internal speaker and microphone, so you can ask it to read you the news, helping plan your commute, set a timer and, of course, adjust the temperature, and much more.

Switches, plugs and strips

Ever hear of “vampire power”? This is when plugged-in products “suck” electricity, even though they’re switched off. This common (but little-known) energy waste is also referred to as “standby” power.

Your smartphone, for example, is probably fully charged after 40-odd minutes, but perhaps you leave it plugged into a wall socket all night? This isn’t good on your wallet or the environment. Some products are worse than others, like large appliances and some home theater gear.

The good news is some switches and power strips can completely cut off electricity, on demand, with a button or app, or through a timer. Belkin, for example, has a line of Conserve-branded switches, sockets and plugs (from $7) that shut off all power to what’s plugged into it – either with the flip of a switch or after a predetermined amount of time. There are also Conserve power strips for multiple items to be plugged into.

Also from Belkin, WeMo-branded switches and plugs (from $29) may not completely cut off power on devices plugged into them, but they let you remotely turn electronics on and off, and manage costs and usage from anywhere, via the WeMo app. In fact, with the Wi-Fi-enabled WeMo Insight Switch ($34), the app will show you real-time reports on how much energy your devices are consuming (in dollars and cents), plus you can get notifications if your kids are watching TV too long or if your laundry is done.

WeMo devices also pair with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can use your voice to control it all.

Other tips to reducing power, problems

?Ensure you’re purchasing consumer electronics branded with the Energy Star logo, as they’ve been tested and verified to be more energy efficient. You should see that familiar sticker on the box and often on the back of the product.

?Curb “idle” time on your devices, such as having your desktop computer or game console go into sleep mode after a short period.

?Wi-Fi-enabled water sensors from Honeywell or D-Link (from $59) can alert you if water is detected, say, on a basement floor – even if you’re not at home – thanks to the app.

?Doing the laundry? Wait until “off-peak” hours, as provided by your electric company, to reduce energy costs. And run full loads, which will also help cut down your bills. Wash laundry in cold water to save even more. Hang dry your laundry.

?While dishwashers use electricity, they save more water (and thus, money) than hand-washing, says the California Energy Commission. Run it during off-peak hours, though.

?Unless it’s sweltering outside, consider a ceiling fan instead of air conditioning.

?Having good insulation can reduce heating and cooling costs. Watch out for cracks and holes on or near doors and windows.

?Solar panels can be a great way to augment (rather than fully replace) your electricity consumption. Costs to install them are coming down, too.

Copyright © 2018, USATODAY.com, USA TODAY, Marc Saltzman

Question: I serve on a Board of a condominium. Without getting into too much detail, recently, the Board members were sued by a resident who claims the budget we passed last year was somehow inappropriate. I was under the impression Board members were immune from lawsuits like this. – RK, Fort Pierce

Answer: First, I would not panic about being sued. Unfortunately, it is a fairly common occurrence that Board members are brought into lawsuits as defendants. As a Board member, your association should have insurance to cover such claims. The insurance carrier should step in and provide you with an attorney to represent you in the lawsuit. Second, as a Board member, you do have a fair amount of protection for holding you liable under most circumstances.

Board members of a condominium and homeowner’s associations owe the association a fiduciary duty, just as if you were on a board of a corporation. I do not know the specific issues in the lawsuit you are dealing with, but the resident suing you must prove you breached your fiduciary duty. Under Florida law, breach of fiduciary duty requires the existence of a fiduciary duty, and the breach of that duty such that it is the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s damages. Suing a director for breach of fiduciary duty requires something more than alleging the director had a fiduciary duty that was breached, as the law starts with the presumption that a director is immune from liability. In order to be subject to liability, the director must have not only breached his or her duties as a director, but that breach also must rise to the level of criminal activity, fraud, self-dealing, unjust enrichment or other improper personal benefit. It also is well-settled absent evidence of the foregoing behavior, directors of condominium associations are not personally liable for the decisions they make in their capacity as directors.

Florida law requires directors of a condominium association discharge their duties in good faith, with the care an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would exercise under similar circumstances and in a manner they reasonably believe to be in the best interests of the corporation (i.e., the Association). This is known as the “business judgment rule,” which is a standard originally created to determine if a director of a corporation breached his or her fiduciary duty to the stockholders. Under this rule, corporate directors and officers generally do not violate their fiduciary duty, absent actual wrongdoing in the form of fraud, self-dealing or unjust enrichment. To determine if a director’s actions fall under the business judgment rule, Florida Courts look at (1) whether the association has the contractual or statutory authority to perform the relevant act and (2) the decision is reasonable.

I hope this helps you, but without knowing more about the particular allegations being made against you, I cannot give you any specific advice. I would speak to your attorney about the details of the lawsuit and what specifically is being alleged against the Board members in your case.

The information provided herein is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The publication of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and Goede, Adamczyk, DeBoest & Cross, PLLC or any of our attorneys. Readers should not act or refrain from acting based upon the information contained in this article without first contacting an attorney, if you have questions about any of the issues raised herein. The hiring of an attorney is a decision that should not be based solely on advertisements or this column.

Editor’s note: Attorneys at Goede, Adamczyk, DeBoest & Cross, PLLC., respond to questions about Florida community association law. The firm represents community associations throughout Florida and focuses on condominium and homeowner association law, real estate law, litigation, estate planning and business law.

Copyright © 2018 Journal Media Group, Harris B. Katz is managing partner of the law firm Goede, Adamczyk, DeBoest & Cross, PLLC.