Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    sara356's Avatar
    sara356 Posts: 10, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #1

    Nov 7, 2007, 10:31 AM
    Cost of burning a light bulb?
    I have a nagging husband that is convinced that I am costing him an arm and leg leaving too many lights on in our home. If there is more than one on that is too many he says. This is driving me crazy. Most of the lights in our home are just the standard light bulbs. Most of them are 60 watts however a few are 100 watts. Foregive me I am not too bright when it comes to electricity but I do think the wattage has something to do with how much electricity they pull. Hence the more wattage the more money you're paying to burn it I think. We do have some fluorescent lighting in our home as well. He says these lights cost less to burn. Which I do believe I have heard before. Can someone please tell me about how much it costs to run a 100 watt light bulb for an hour? Does fluorescent lighting really cost less? And also, is it true that turning the light on and off costs more than just continually leaving it running if you are going to need it again within the next 30 minutes?If my husband is right then so be it but at least I will know Thank You!!
    Michigander2's Avatar
    Michigander2 Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #2

    Nov 7, 2007, 11:14 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by sara356
    I have a nagging husband that is convinced that I am costing him an arm and leg leaving too many lights on in our home. If there is more than one on that is too many he says. This is driving me crazy. Most of the lights in our home are just the standard light bulbs. Most of them are 60 watts however a few are 100 watts. Foregive me I am not too bright when it comes to electricity but I do think the wattage has something to do with how much electricity they pull. Hence the more wattage the more money you're paying to burn it I think. We do have some florescent lighting in our home as well. He says these lights cost less to burn. Which I do believe I have heard before. Can someone please tell me about how much it costs to run a 100 watt light bulb for an hour? Does florescent lighting really cost less? And also, is it true that turning the light on and off costs more than just continually leaving it running if you are going to need it again within the next 30 minutes?If my husband is right then so be it but at least I will know Thank You!!!!
    Yes florescents use less. About 15 years ago when my son left home I was staying with my boy friend so I experimented. My fridge cost $10 a month with no one opening the door. The next month I turned a 60watt bulb on. That cost a whole dollar. Rates have gone up a little since then. Thing that cause a change in temperature or movement pull much more than a light.
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
    Uber Member
     
    #3

    Nov 7, 2007, 11:35 AM
    Want to watch the meter? There are two Kill a Watt devices on this page: Safe Home Products - Product Match

    One is a bit more sophisticated that the other because it does projections and tries to calculate a real cost.

    Electricity is measured in Killowatt-hours or 1000 Watts in one hour. 1 KWH of electricity probably costs somewhere near $.15/KWH. Check your electric bill.

    A 100 W lamp is 0.1 KW and if it burns for 1 hour, it uses 0.1 KWH. At $0.15/KWH, the cost to run this bulb is 1.5 cents/hour.

    Wattage is only one variable when it comes to lighting. Incadesent lamps (the STANDARD light bulb)are less efficient than Flouresent lamps, so the parameter lumens/watt tells you how bright the light per the power required to create light. LED lamps will be overtaking the standard light bulb. The higher the number, the better. Incadesent lamps also contribute heat to the surroundings as well and not all lamps have the same spectra or color. To further complicate lighting, the eye has different sensitivites to colors.

    A standard light bulb may burn 15 times it's rated power for an instant when it starts up, but that doesn't contribute significantly to electricity consumption, but rather the lamp might burn out sooner.

    So, turn off lights when not in use. Use Flourescents or LED lamps when possible.
    There are 3-way compact flourescents that can be considered too.

    For more information see: Fluorescent Lighting Energy Savings and Product Comparisons

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

Changing hanging light bulb [ 5 Answers ]

Our front porch light is a hanging light and I cannot find a telescoping pole that will grasp the bulb. When I push up, the fixture moves up. How can I change a bulb on a hanging lamp?

Maytag refrigerator light bulb guards [ 2 Answers ]

How do the plastic light bulb guards come off in the Maytag Plus refrigerator, model # MTB1956FEQ? Both of my light bulbs are burned out and I'd like to replace them, however I'm unable to get the plastic light bulb guard off. Thanks for the help.

How to change the light bulb? [ 3 Answers ]

How do I change the light bulb in a hampton bay ceiling fan?? It's only like three years old was bought at home depot it's the $250 dollar model. The light bulb is enclosed inside a compartment that unscrews from the fan but I can't figure out how to get to the actual light bulb.

Light-bulb change in HB fixture? [ 2 Answers ]

The condo unit I bought has a Hampton Bay light fixture in the kitchen (flushmount, 2-lights, 60w, frosted glass)... this sounds funny to type these words, but how do I change the bulbs? Does the glass portion unscrew? Does the fixture pull-down from the ceiling? I am very hesitant to monkey...

How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb? [ 5 Answers ]

Golden Retriever The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned out bulb? Border Collie Just one. And then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code. Dachshund You know I can't reach that stupid lamp! ...


View more questions Search