This is how much money we’re wasting by leaving lights on all the time (2024)
Leaving lights on in our homes when we know we don’t need them is probably something most of us are guilty of.
It's a bad habit that we all know is wasteful - but did you know just how much money you may be throwing down the drain by using the unnecessary electricity?
According to new research by Utility Design, who surveyed 1,000 people, Brits across the nation are wasting a huge £4.4 billion every year, just by leaving lights on at home when they're not needed.
The homeware and furniture retailer revealed that 21% of people in the UK have admitted to leaving their lights on when going to work - while 7% say they keep a light on when going to bed.
A further 10% of us regularly leave a light on when exiting a room too.
Findings showed that the bathroom is the place where lights most regularly get left on.
The research goes on to state that the yearly average cost per person of leaving your lights on when you leave a room is a whopping £838.66 - while the yearly cost per person of leaving your lights on whilst sleeping is around £281.05.
But it's not just personal finances that suffer the blow from irresponsible energy use.
According to Utility Design, the energy emissions produced by leaving a light on in a room you're not in equates to 62 flights around the world.
Similarly, leaving them on whilst you go to work is equal to 45 flights around the globe - while leaving a light on whilst sleeping produces the same level of emissions as 15 flights around the world.
Some areas across the UK are worse than others for leaving their lights on, according to Utility Design. The worst culprits are found in major cities, including London, Nottingham, Cardiff and Newcastle.
Richard Skelton, brand and e-commerce director at Utility Design, commented on the research, saying it can remind us of how important switching off 'unused' lights is.
He said, "However, this study goes to show that it’s worth being conscious of our energy consumption and switching off unused lights, from both a personal finance (saving money) and an environmental point of view.
‘It was interesting to find out that the bathroom is the main room where people accidentally leave on the lights – perhaps we are slightly too bleary-eyed after our morning showers to make sure that we are being responsible with our energy consumption.’
Leaving your LED lights on all day isn't quite as costly, but it'll still cause a significant dent in your annual energy bill. 45 LED lights left on while you're at work will cost you an extra $180 a year. That means, if you flip those switches off when you leave, you could save enough for an annual gym membership.
Incandescent lights should be turned off whenever they are not needed, because they are the least efficient type of lighting. 90% of the energy they use is given off as heat, and only about 10% results in light. Turning lights off will also keep a room cooler, an extra benefit in the summer.
Running an LED light bulb for 24 hours typically costs about $0.027, assuming an electricity rate of 16 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in the United States. This calculation is based on a 7W LED bulb, which is equivalent to a 40W incandescent bulb but consumes significantly less power.
Turning off your lights when you aren't using them is one of the most basic steps you can take to reduce your energy usage and save money on your electricity bill. Just remember that even a small change can add up to big energy savings for you and also help reduce your carbon footprint.
DarkSky estimates that least 30 percent of all outdoor lighting in the U.S. alone is wasted, mostly by lights that aren't shielded. That adds up to $3.3 billion and the release of 21 million tons of carbon dioxide per year! To offset all that carbon dioxide, we'd have to plant 875 million trees annually.
Modern lights are safe to leave on for a week, though it isn't advisable. If you forgot to turn them off, LED bulbs are unlikely to overheat, trip electrics, or start a fire. On the other hand, incandescent, halogen, or fluorescent lights should never be left on for a week.
Incandescent: Consumes the most energy and has the shortest lifespan. 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.
Lightbulbs can suck a lot of electricity when left on for long periods of time. It's likely that your electricity bill is rising for every extra minute you leave that light on. Lighting is also typically misunderstood. You probably find that when you use your lights you're looking to brighten an entire room.
Taking the example above, that a 100W light bulb uses 0.1kW an hour, this means that ten 100W light bulbs on at the same time would require 1kW, which would cost 25p every hour.
This continual use of power drives up your monthly electric bill. There's a simple solution, though: Just unplug the appliances when you aren't using them. According to the US Department of Energy, unplugging these devices could save the average household up to $100 a year.
However, standby mode still consumes power. Several studies have investigated the amount of energy used by televisions in standby mode, with estimates ranging from 2.25% to 5% of the energy used when the TV is on. Modern televisions consume between 0.5 to 3 watts of power when in standby mode.
Benefits of Turning Off Lights. Despite myths you may have heard, turning your lights on and off doesn't use more electricity than leaving your lights on. Turning off the lights when you aren't in a room is one of the easiest ways to save energy.
Light pollution is the introduction of artificial light into the natural environment. Approximately 35 percent of light is wasted by unshielded or poorly aimed outdoor lighting, this adds up to about three billion dollars in energy lost to light pollution.
But the International Dark Sky Association estimates that 35% of artificial light is wasted by being poorly aimed or unshielded . This equates, in the US alone, to about $3 billion per year spent on "making the sky glow".
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