Would it be cheaper and/or 'greener' to light your home with candles instead of electricity?

Question

If you just had one or two candles burning in rooms you were using... and completed tasks that required a bright light during the day time?

Would the cost of candles be less than the cost of electric lighting?

Is producing and burning candles more or less damaging to the environment than producing and using electricity?

Any thoughts?

Answer 1

when you concider most people wore glasses before the advent of the lightbulb because their eyes were so bad due to the dim light..

..it would, in the end, cost more, and create more pollution, just to create the plastic and glass to make glasses for people who used candle light just to save pollution in the first place. a circle!

Answer 2

NO, and NO. Not cheaper, not greener to use candles. Candles are one of the worst producers of light, generating more heat than light and producing unburned and partially burned hydrocarbons in the form of soot and CO2, MORE in proportion than burning coal or oil in a modern power plant to generate electricity. Use compact fluorescents instead of incandescent bulbs and cut your lighting bill by 2/3rd's (not the total bill, just that amount used for lighting). Sorry, but pound for pound, burning natural gas instead of candles would be cheaper and greener. At least with natural gas, there is no soot or partially burned hydrocarbons to worry about.

Answer 3

It wouldn't be very green if you use candles made with paraffin wax since paraffin is a petroleum-based product.  If you use candles made with renewable resources like natural vegetable waxes or beeswax it would be much greener.  My favorite natural wax candle brand is Mia Bella's.  For information visit the company website:

http://www.bellamiacandle.scent-team.com

As much as I love candles, it wouldn't probably provide adequate lighting to light the whole house for the types of activities most people expect to be able to do.  It might help to use them in a bathroom or a room where people are dining or talking and don't require a bright light for reading or other activities.

Answer 4

In the long run, I would assume so.

Answer 5

Using candles instead of electricity would be "greener" as you can buy candles made from recycled materials and other environmentally friendly ones, but also quite dangerous as fires are easily started by candles! And logically, it would be cheaper as candles don't run from electricity.  

Answer 6

cheaper until your place burnt to the ground... you are willing to risk your whole house to save some money?  if you want to be environmental, try selling your car and peddling a bike.  

Answer 7

I don't think it would be cheaper.  You'd have to purchase the good candles that are not toxic.  The wicks are generally treated with chemicals.  Even if you goy soy based candles, there's still the issue of the wick and the smoke being sent into the air.  

Secondly, the reason regular lighting is costly via electricity is because it is so inefficient and heat producing.  Depending on the climate you live in, you might not want to be adding to the heat in your home.  I live in Florida and lighting candles all the time would warm up my apartment, forcing me to use the fans or A/C more frequently.

So, not as environmentally friendly as you might hope and definitely not very cost-efficient.  I suggest sticking with the compact-fluorescent light bulbs.  They use a small fraction of the energy and don't heat up your house.  They also last for a really long time.  (Get the GE kinds, not generic.  I've found the generic blow out faster than regular light bulbs!)

Peace.

Answer 8

the fire danger is greater then the savings

Answer 9

depends on what type of candles you are using, if you use soy candles it does less damage than regular candles.  But either way you are saving money and saving the environment. kudos to you!

Answer 10

Yeah it would be a lot cheaper and better for the environment, But also more dangerous, you would have to be careful.

Answer 11

Candles are not very energy efficient.  These days, the vast majority of candles are made from petroleum wax.. which means they come from crude oil just like gas for the car.  There are still tallow candles and bees wax candles available, but they are expensive.   What makes more sense all the way around is solar lighting.  We have friends with a solar home and they use standard compact flourescent bulbs and we've been there as late as 2am at a party or whatever and they were still going strong.  In they day they run off the panels, and at night they run off of a bunch of marine batteries that get recharged.

Answer 12

uh..anything you'd save by doing it would be burned up(pardon the pun), in home insurance costs. They frown on open flames for anything!!...They';re not as green minded as you are!...plus candles made commercially aren't suitable anyway...you'd have to (get back to the land and set your soul free)make your own....(good luck)....stick with gas,or whatever. Plus you'll go blind or sweat to death by the time you try reading to the tune of 1,000,000 candles.

Answer 13

It would cost you less, but you have to be careful with candles. Make sure you keep an eye on them so that they don't catch fire to anything. and also candle lit rooms are very pretty. I sometimes light my house with them too.

Answer 14

Get the new flouresent light bulbs instead.

That way you don't burn down your house and you are still saving electricity.

Answer 15

Candles are cheaper than getting power to your house.   If you already have it, the electric lights are cheaper.   Still no reason not to use a candle once in awhile if you like them- certainly cheaper than a cup of espresso.

Answer 16

Candles won't give you a lot of light and might harm your vision. Also most candles are made from petroleum any way so they are bad anyway. You will save much more by buying a florescent bulb. Think about this you'll by a new candle maybe every week and florescent bulb last about 5 years.

Answer 17

i completely agree with" k labla"  it would be greener but more dangerous

Answer 18

You can purchase soy candles in bulk on-line. If that's what you really want to do, I suggest you stock up.

My only question to you would be, how would you refrigerate your food, iron your clothes, wash your clothes, study for homework, watch TV, listen to the radio?

You can save on electricity by using other sources of light. But, I don't think cutting off your electric as a whole would be the most practical scenario for you.

Answer 19

DO NOT FALL TO SLEEP WITH CANDLES BURNING...EVER!!!! alot of good all that saving the planet c**p and global warming garbage will do when you and your neighbors wake up in a burning building..

Answer 20

burning candles gives off toxic chemicals as well, which is probably as bad as electricity created from coals or something. you want electricity from wind power!

Answer 21

of course it would candles arent that much an some are made to last a pretty good while.  plus they smell great and i think they are very relaxing and romantic if needed to be