How to Turn Lights Off to Conserve Energy

Conserving energy is a topic on many people's minds. While there are a variety of ways to conserve energy, the most immediate thing you can to is to turn off your lights when not in use. Turning off lights to promote energy conservation is simple enough to teach your whole family. Both the environment and your electric bill will benefit from your efforts to save energy.

Instructions

• 1

  Flip the light switch on any fixtures that use incandescent bulbs immediately after each use. Incandescent light bulbs are the traditional, round-shapep light bulbs with a wire filament inside. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (see References 1), incandescent light bulbs only spend 10 percent to 15 percent of their total energy on producing light. The remaining energy is wasted in the form of heat. You will save a great deal of energy by turning off these lights right away, and using them only when necessary.

• 2

  Turn off florescent light bulbs if you are going to leave them off for 15 minutes or more. Florescent light bulbs come in two forms: the long, cylinder-shaped bulbs that attach to a ballast, and the small, coiled bulbs that can be used in most traditional light fixtures. These light bulbs use on a fraction of the energy an incandescent bulb does to produce the same amount of light. However, they are more sensitive to being turned on and off frequently, so care should be taken to turn them off for longer periods of time.

• 3

  Place reminder notes beneath light switches to encourage yourself and others to turn off the lights when not in use. Use colorful pictures to illustrate the concept to young children.

• 4

  Leave only your porch light or security lights on when leaving the house. Make it part of your routine to walk through the house and turn off all unneeded lights.

• 5

  Use minimal or alternative lighting when possible. Holiday lights should be on a timer so they are only on at night. Light a candle or turn on a flashlight when low level light is needed.