Does it cost more to leave lights on or to turn them off and on? I was raised that when you leave a room, you turn off the lights. My husband says to leave lights on and turn them off when you're completely finished for the day.
By Peggy from Palmyra, MO
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This is a no brainer. If the lights are on you are using and paying for the electricity. Lights should go on when you enter a room and turned off when you leave the room.
No offense to DH but he needs to take a mini-course in electricity ;-) LOL!
If he is wanting the lights on for his convenience, so he doesn't have to think about turning them on and off, there are sensor switches that turn the lights on and off based on motion detection. I think the sensor still draws a wee bit of power but nothing compared to the lights on for hours and hours ;-)
Oh, and you might mention that light bulbs have an 'hour usage life' which means they burn out more quickly if left on all the time and means you have to pay to buy more bulbs per year than you really need to ;-)
Hubby and I have had this same argument for years - even though he was a Depression-era kid and I'm a bit younger.
Since our living room tends to be dark, we leave one light burning for convenience. Of course, that lamp has an energy* bulb in it... same goes for the bathroom light, but I only permit that one to be left on if it's gloomy weather. Otherwise, no go.
I go even farther in my efforts to keep our power bill down. I turn off all surge suppressors, even the one on my computer's battery backup . (The tech says not to, but I figure he doesn't have to pay my electric bill. I can and will turn it back on if a storm blows in, just in case.)I also unplug small appliances I can reach, although I leave my talking caller ID unit plugged in.
Do what works best, have the electric company folks or an electrician talk to your hubby if you need backup...
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Turn off lights in rooms when you are not using them. It saves lots of energy and money!
By Robin from Washington, IA
I agree. Both of my Grandmothers who grew up in the Great Depression taught me to turn off lights upon leaving a room. It makes a difference! (06/08/2007)
By PJ
