Does tuning a light off and on increase the electric bill?

Question

my mother thinks that when i turn a light off in a room and she has to turn it back on that the bill rises, is she right

Answer 1

If you use a low energy bulb, then yes she may be right! Low energy light bulbs have a starter that consumes more energy at ignition then the light itself produces, obviously time of the light on is a factor here, but turning on and off of low energy bulbs is more detrimental then with the old bulbs that we used to buy and use!

   Remember, the old light bulbs are efficient in toilets, cupboards and sheds when used for a minimal time, something my fellow environmentalists seem to have forgotten!

    Thanks to your mum to give me this opportunity to raise this overlooked point!

Answer 2

dont be fooled. the answer to that is NO. When you turn the light switch off, the meter stops running therefor not increasing your energy consumption

Answer 3

The bill rises when she switches it back on ( but not to as much as it would have been if the light had been left on).

Get her to eat more carrots so that she can see in the dark.

Answer 4

no, if u turn the light off the electric meter is going to slow down, which, of course means u are using less power, if u ever watch Mythbusters they did a show on your topic

Answer 5

didn't you watch mythbusters???........ even though a higher amount of energy is needed to switch on a light bulb, it won't increase the bill more than leaving the light on for long periods of time.......

Answer 6

newer cf bulbs are more efficient and less affected by repeated turning on and off.

You clearly watched Mythbusters didn't you or you wouldn't have asked such a dumb question.

Answer 7

Only because you're now using the electricity.

Mythbusters did a show on this once. Turning the light on and off does not affect your bill except for the fact that you're consuming energy when the light is on. The actual physical action of turning the light on and off does not change anything.

Answer 8

The electricity bill will always stop climbing when you switch off a light. However there may be a financial cost to pay in the reduced lifetime of certain fluorescent lights i.e. it can sometimes be cheaper to leave these on over the short term (only switch them off if you intend leaving them off for a few minutes or longer).

Answer 9

nope

Answer 10

TRY HOLDING YOUR BREATH. WHAT HAPPENS?

Answer 11

on some fluorescent lamps the energy used  to 'start' the  lamp up is high. if turned on an off over a short time  gives false economy as they are in fact cheap to keep running once  lit. on normal; filament lamps etc it will save Money by tuning on and off as required.

Answer 12

Does Turning Fluorescent Lights Off Use More Energy Than Leaving Them On?

March 27 2008

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=turn...

'Turns out, however, that power surge is so brief that its energy draw doesn't amount to much: the equivalent of a few seconds or so of normal operation, according to U.S. Department of Energy estimates. In other words, from a strict energy-conservation standpoint, it's almost always beneficial to shut off fluorescents when leaving the room—the start-up energy is offset by the power saved in even the briefest outages.'