The final piece of the puzzle is your electricity cost. Here in the Raleigh area, homeowners pay an average electricity rate of 10.43 cents per kilowatt hour. So, this tells us that it will cost the average homeowner around $20.57 every year to keep their porch light on all night, every night.
Keeping your porch light on can also add to your bills. It's more of a problem in old homes and older light fixtures but over time it can add up to a lot of money. For example, Washington Outdoor Lights finds that 'A 60-watt incandescent bulb used for 12 hours per night can cost around $2.16 per month.
Generally speaking, it is safe to have outside lights on at night. The illuminated lights can serve as a signal, which shows that the home is occupied and improves visibility around your home. Apart from this, leaving the outside lights, such as porch lights, on at night offers some other practical benefits.
Assuming a 60 watt bulb and 730 hours a month, a bulb running all the time uses about 43.8 Kw (kilowatt hours) of energy (60 x 730 / 1000). It costs us about 10 cents per Kw depending on the time of day and the plan you are on (night-time is much lower on some plans).
Let's discuss how your lighting can affect your electric bill and some ways you can save money. The lighting in your home can make up as much as 25-30% of your monthly bill. A great way to lower the cost of your electricity bill is to only have the lights turned on when you NEED them.
What costs the most on your electric bill? Heating and cooling are by far the greatest energy users in the home, making up around 40% of your electric bill. Other big users are washers, dryers, ovens, and stoves. Electronic devices like laptops and TVs are usually pretty cheap to run, but of course, it can all add up.
In general, the more energy-efficient a lightbulb is, the longer you can leave it on before it is cost effective to turn it off. In addition to turning off your lights manually, you may want to consider using sensors, timers, and other automatic lighting controls.
However, leaving an outdoor light on when not needed is a tremendous waste of energy.
How much does it cost to run outdoor lights? Running costs depend on the type of lighting. LED lights might cost as little as $1 to $5 per month, while traditional incandescent lights can cost $5 to $15 per month.
A Porch Light Can Keep Intruders Away
One of the main reasons that people leave their porch light on is to increase the security of their homes while they sleep. It lets people know that someone is home, including criminals and thieves who may be looking for vulnerable properties.
There are lots of good reasons to leave your porch light on at night. It potentially signals that someone is home, and it illuminates the area next to your front door so that you can look through your peephole and see anyone who might be there before opening your front door.
Leaving a porch light on overnight is a somewhat effective home security measure. It may help prevent burglars from breaking in, as intruders on the property are visible to neighbors and passers-by. Outdoor lights left on at night also make it safer for residents when returning home.
Should you leave outdoor lights on at night? No, leaving lights on can make intruders think that you're not home. Use a motion sensor light that turns on when you, or anyone else, comes near so you have light only when you need it.
In addition to potential fire risks, leaving lights on for 1-2 weeks will waste energy and increase electricity bills significantly. Instead of leaving lights on, try these home security tips to prevent home intruders while on vacation: Install motion-detector lights.
Leaving lights on in empty rooms is the most common argument that families have over their household bills, despite the energy-wasting habit costing less than £2 extra each year. Around half of families bicker about leaving the lights on, with more than 40 arguments over wasted electricity annually.
Let's say you have a 60-watt incandescent lightbulb and you are paying 12 cents per kWh of energy. Leaving the bulb on the whole day will therefore cost you: 0.06 (60 watts / 1000) kilowatts x 24 hours x 12 cents = approximately 20 cents in one day.
A 60-watt incandescent bulb used for 12 hours per night can cost around $2.16 per month. CFL: More energy-efficient and longer-lasting than incandescent bulbs. A 14-watt CFL used for 12 hours per night costs approximately $0.50 per month.
The best ways to light up a backyard without electricity are solar lights including pathway, deck, and wall lights, battery or solar operated outdoor string lights, lanterns, or a firepit.
Remember to turn off your lights when you are not in the room and try to switch to lighting for specific areas, like lamps. Also, use energy-efficient CFL bulbs instead of inefficient incandescent light bulbs and save money when the lights are on.
Is it Cheaper to Leave a Light on Or Turn it on And Off? Yes and no; it all depends on the bulb type you use. If you are using incandescent, halogen, or LED bulbs, turn them off when not in use. If you are using a CFL light and will be gone for less than fifteen minutes, leave the light on.
Leaving a standard 60-watt light bulb on all night for 8 hours will use about 0.48 kilowatt-hours of electricity. That's because you multiply the wattage (60 watts) by the number of hours (8), which gives you 480 watt-hours, or 0.48 kilowatt-hours when you convert it.
Heating and cooling: 45-50%
The largest electricity consumer in the average household is your heating and cooling appliance. By a long shot. Central air conditioners and heaters use tons of energy in order to keep your home set to the right temperature.
Most TVs use about 1.3 watts in standby mode, or about 2-5% of the wattage required when turned on. It's a small amount of power, but devices like TVs have a big impact nationwide. Consider the scale: 96% of US homes have at least one TV, a total of over 125 million!