#3 Leaving lights on
Turning off lights saves energy generally. Sometimes it can actually be cheaper to leave a light on rather than turn it off. Incandescent lights provide the greatest savings. If you’re not using them, turn them off. They’re the least efficient light and 90% of the energy they use is heat. Turning them off will also help cool a room in summer, which could potentially affect other energy costs as well, such as air conditioning.
Savings get more complicated with CFL or LED lights. Energy.gov offers this general rule of thumb for deciding if turning off CFL lights saves energy: Leave them on if you will return to a room within 15 minutes; if you’re going to be gone for more than 15 minutes, turn them off. Energy.gov says that this strategy can also help extend the life of a CFL bulb because its operating life is more affected by the number of times it’s switched on and off.
LED lighting is not affected by being turned on and off. This makes LED bulbs a top energy savings lighting choice. They’re a great option, Energy.gov says, when used with occupancy sensors.
Introducing the Light-level Sensor Advanced PowerStrip—an innovative solution that conserves energy by managing power to the switched outlets based on room lighting status. This
advanced power strip is ideal for curbing energy waste from various office electronics and appliances like photocopiers, printers, shredders, water coolers, and vending machines, ensuring they power on only during operating hours.