Energy-Saving Tips on Turning Out Lights
- Always turn off an incandescent bulb when not in use. Incandescent bulbs are cheap and inefficient, so their energy savings far outweighs the cost of replacement. Incandescent bulbs also produce heat, which will save further energy cooling costs in the summer when turned off.
- Fluorescent lights are more expensive. Because of their switching mechanisms, their life is directly correlated with the number of times they are turned on or off. A general rule of thumb for turning off fluorescent bulbs is to turn them off if you will be leaving the room for more than 15 minutes. However this amount of time can fluctuate based on variable energy costs.
- Daylighting, or allowing natural sunlight into a home in the place of electric lighting, can be a great way to turn lights off in the daytime and save money. Skylights or windows facing cardinal directions, particularly south and north, are optimal as they let in the most light without direct exposure, which can cause complications with cooling in the summer.
- Finding out how much electricity you can save in both wattage and dollars is easy. Every bulb should have a wattage printed on the surface. If a bulb is 40 watts, that means it uses .04 kilowatts per hour of operation. Next find out from your energy bill or energy provider the kilowatt-hour electricity rate you pay at peak and off-peak times. Next multiply the kilowatt usage of your lighting fixture with the kilowatt-hour rate to determine an exact savings.
