Does turning your lights off and then on again actually cost more money than leaving them on?

Question

Does turning your lights off and then on again actually cost more money than leaving them on?

Answer 1

They did a segment on this on Mythbusters a while back. The only type of bulb with any sort of noticeable surge when flipped on was the incandescent bulb, but that wasn't enough to warrant leaving it on when you could actually turn it off.

The only noticeable increase on your electric bill would be if you stood there and turned the light on and off repeatedly throughout the day.

Answer 2

If your leaving the room for more than 5 minutes, turn it off.  

If your in and out consistently, leave it on, the bulb will burn out faster, and the energy cost of making the bulb may outweigh the energy saved.

Mythbusters proved that the energy used to initially light a bulb, is only greater if the bulb was off for only a few seconds.

Also, you should use more energy efficient bulbs, Compact fluorescent, or L.E.D.

Answer 3

No, turning them off when you leave the room is the most energy efficient. The leaving it on myth stems from the fact that this used to be true of very old fashioned strip lighting but is no longer true.