SmartPower SmartTip of the Week: Why light an empty room?

As our good friend Elizabeth notes in the latest SmartPower Minute, we can save money and energy, and reduce air pollution by simply remembering to turn off lights when we leave a room.

I know what you may be thinking—‘Yeah, yeah, SmartPower, that’s the same thing my mom and dad told me my whole childhood. ‘

Well, I have those same, um, fond memories too. But we all know that many of us still have a tendency to leave lights on in rooms and areas of the house that are not used or occupied.  Of course, lights offer aesthetic and security value in addition to simply allowing us to get around an area easier at night.  

But think about how often you may leave the basement or upstairs bedroom lights on during dinnertime. And consider how many times you may also leave lights on in the bathroom or kitchen, the garage or the back patio, simply out of habit.

According to the Energy Smart social networking site, ClimateCulture.com, someone can save $18 a year simply by turning off three lights in the house for a couple hours a day.  That also reduces your home’s CO2 pollution by 155 lbs. a year.

So Let’s Get Energy Smart and start turning off the lights when we leave the room.  (Motion sensors like the one in the picture can do the work for us.) Like all of our SmartTips, flipping a switch to stop waste helps us save money, while also being part of the solution to combat global climate change.

Be sure to check out the SmartPower Blog, too, for more news about energy efficiency and clean energy.