ENERGY BOOMER

Plug In Motion Detector Virtual Review

I’ve been looking at plug in motion detectors for home use. Normally I’d just buy one and test it in my home so I could write a review article about it.

However, after I walked around our home looking at each electric outlet I didn’t find a place where I could give it an honest trial. These plug in motion sensors are intended to switch on a lamp or some other small appliance when someone walks into the room.

Most of our room lights are plugged into outlets that are located behind furniture.  As example, a motion sensor could not see through the couch to know when someone walked into the room.

I thought there was an opportunity in the kitchen. We have some plug in fluorescent lights stuck up under the cupboards. When I mentioned this idea to my wife, I got booted out of the kitchen.

We also have a plug in fluorescent light under the cupboard above the clothes washer. I put that light up to satisfy the need to see into the tub of our top loading washer. Using a flashlight to search for that missing sock gets old real fast.

Folks normally enter the laundry room with both hands carrying over loaded laundry baskets. A perfect use for motion sensor controlled light.

But, my loving wife uses that light as a signal. She leaves it on to remind herself that there is quilting fabric or laundry in the machine. As long as the machine is in use the signal light must stay on.

She reminded me that I am not allowed to enter the laundry room without special permission. Good thing I put in a low wattage light.

Fun with Motion Detectors

I can think of some practical joke uses for a plug in motion detector. I’d use it to turn on a tape recorder with a funny message when someone enters the room.

We have a small decorative pine tree named Douglas Fir who talks to you when you walk by it. I guess the Billy Bass wall mounted fish works the same way.

News Flash: Motion Detectors Use Electricity

I thought about using it in a hallway to turn on a nightlight when someone wanders around in the dark. But, it takes more energy to operate the motion sensor than it does to leave a LED nightlight on all the time.

The plug in motion detector that is getting some advertising buzz now is rated for 0.3 amps, when the light is off. That does not sound like much. But, it equals 36 watts times 24 hours a day or 0.86 kilowatts a day. That is about $37 a year in addition to the purchase price.

They might actually save money if they are used in an outlet that has a good clear view of the room to control a light that gets used often.

It can light your way and save money by shutting the light off automatically after is does not “see” any motion for ten minutes.

If you want to keep the light on you may have to wave at the sensor every few minutes. It would work well in an exercise room. If you rest too long between each exercise, the light will go off reminding you to get moving.

Don’t Over Power Your Motion Detector

I bought a motion detector that screw into a light bulb socket and then screwed in a 100-watt bulb into it for testing. It stopped working after about the third test. I then read the instruction that said it was recommended for no more than 75 Watts. Read the instructions first.

Keep in mind that all electric devices have a limit as to how much power they can control. Home use plug in motion detectors usually can safely handle 500 Watts of power.  If you go over their power limit, they will either not work or you will be risking a fire. Do as I say, not as I do.

Safety Saves Money but Not Energy

Some motion sensors can make your home safer. Automatically turning on a light may prevent you from tripping as you cross a dark room to reach a light switch. Preventing injuries does save money.

Please leave a comment or send me an email if you have found an application where a plug in motion detector is saving you money on your electric bill.

by Birney Summers – 2009 All Rights Reserved

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Are Blocked Lights Wasting Your Money?

Blocked or, as “the professionals” say, obstructed lights waste money on electric bills. Obstructed lights are most often a commercial or industrial problem but they can occur at home too.

Obstructed lights are lights that have all or some of the light that they put out blocked before it can get to where it is useful. If a light fixture is located where and object makes a shadow in the area you are trying to illuminate you are not getting full value for the energy used.

Blocking of light fixtures usually occurs over time because no one would intentionally put up a light in a location where the light can’t shine where needed.

However, mistakes do happen. Lights can be put up in the wrong place and floor plan layouts can get changed even in new construction.

Examples of Obstructed Lights

An at home example would be an outdoor light that now has a tree or tall shrub blocking it. All the light used to shine on the front walk. But, now that the tree has grown taller, the homeowner is not getting the full benefit of the light.

An industrial example would be a light that was hung from a factory ceiling years ago. Since then new equipment has been installed. Now ventilation ductwork passes right under the fixture, blocking the light.

A commercial example could be in a store where the floor plan has been changed. A ceiling mounted light that used to illuminate a display area is now located above a tall storage unit.

In these cases, the light gave full value when it was installed. But, now the blocked light still uses electrical power and the owner gets no or very little benefit from the light it produces.

Trim the tree or move the light fixture

The quick fix for the problem is to turn the light off. The next step is to determine if the light is truly needed in that area. If light is a need then action needs to be taken to fix the waste of energy.

You have three choices:

1. Eliminate the light fixture

2. Un-block the light

3. Move the light fixture to a better location

If you are going to spend, the time and money to move it consider upgrading it to a newer more efficient lighting product.

Fixing one or two blocked lights won’t cut your energy budget very much. But, the bigger the facility is the more blocked lights you are likely to have.

In some situations, you can remove the blocked light and get the job done by upgrading a neighboring light to cover the area.

Correcting blocked lights usually means taking several out of service. The more lights you take out the lower your energy and maintenance bills will be. In the long run, the reduction in your maintenance labor and materials cost will be greater than the energy savings, but it all helps the bottom line.

by Birney Summers – 2009 All Rights Reserved

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Earth Day: How Bad Are Your Light Bulbs?

Here is a backwards way of looking at how good your light bulbs are.

The electrical energy that is used by light bulbs is converted into about three different kinds of energy. They are light energy, heat energy and sound energy.

Light energy is what we want, so let’s focus on the other two.

Yes, sound from light bulbs is wasted energy.

Do you ever listen to your lights? When I say lights, I am including the fixture, ballast or electronics package, if any, along with the bulb.

When you hear a light that is making sounds, you are hearing wasted energy. The buzzing, humming or whirring noise from lighting equipment is not light energy. It is escaping sound energy.

Fortunately, for those of us who pay the electric bills the energy wasted from lighting as sound energy is very small.

Energy wasted as heat from lights is a big deal.

The really big waste of energy from lighting is heat. Heat is not light. Unless you want it, heat is wasted energy.

Old fashion Thomas Edison style light bulbs make very efficient heaters. These incandescent light bulbs convert about 95% of the electricity they use into heat. Big carbon foot print little light.

That explains why they are so effective at keeping pipes and well water pumps from freezing. You country folk out there know you keep a light bulb on inside your well pump shed to keep the water flowing during freezing weather.

If you need a space heater, in an emergency, plug in as many old light bulbs as you can.

When 95% of the electrical energy is converted to heat energy, it leaves only 5% that is converted into light energy.

The next group of light bulbs I’ll call the 80% heaters.

Light bulbs that operate at very high temperatures are about 80% or more efficient as heaters.

They include:

Halogen lights like the headlights on cars.

HID lamps (High Intensity Discharge) used in street lamps.

Mercury vapor lights, like some folks use as yard lights.

These light bulbs put out a lot of light. To do it they operate at very high temperatures. They are OK to use outdoors or in big buildings but not so safe in homes.

When they convert about 80% of electrical energy into heat, it leaves only 20% that is converted into light. Better than the incandescent bulbs but still not wonderful. They save money only because they last a lot longer than incandescent bulbs.

LED light Bulbs are about 82% heaters.

The surprise to many people is that LED light bulbs convert about 82% of the electrical energy into heat. They don’t get very hot because they are designed to cool quickly.

The long life of LED lights depends on keeping them cool. The electronics package hidden in the base of the bulb will melt down if it gets too hot. That is why you can’t use them in your oven. They would last a very long time as the light in a refrigerator.

When they convert 82% of electrical energy into heat, it leaves 18% that is converted into light. The good thing about LED bulbs is they give a lot of light for a small amount of power and last a longest of all, so far.

The other good thing about LEDs is they do not contain mercury.

So what kind of light bulbs are the worst heaters?

Fluorescents are poor heaters in that they only convert about only 30 to 50% of the electrical energy they use into heat. Did you ever try to keep warm by huddling around a fluorescent light? I didn’t think so.

Because they are such poor heaters, they save money on electrical bills two ways.

First, they put out the most light for the electricity used. This is why Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) are so popular for home use.

Second, because they don’t create as much heat they also reduce air conditioning bills. The heat from lighting is part of the heat load that your AC works hard to remove from the building. Less heat load means lower air-conditioning cost.

I know some folks who use incandescent bulbs at home in the winter, when heat is a good thing. Then they switch to CFL bulbs in the summer when heat is not wanted.

They are right about the home heat loading.

Their bulb switch plan is good because it exercises your wrist muscles with all that twisting in and out of light bulbs. It is also good because you wipe away the dust that blocks some of the light from your bulbs twice a year.

I don’t do this because whenever I juggle light bulbs, some of them get broken.

Fluorescent lights are good because of their small carbon footprint, but they do contain trace amounts of mercury. Pick your poison. The amount of mercury in fluorescent bulbs has been minimized as they have evolved over the years, but it is still in them.

 

Disclaimer: The percentages given above are really well rounded off to keep this article short. Please don’t get lost in the numbers. Some science folks would argue that the light energy from electric lamps is converted to heat energy as it bounces around our rooms. So, all light bulbs produce 100% heat, eventually. I just put that in here to give you something to stew about.

by Birney Summers – 2009 All Rights Reserved

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SAVE ENERGY AND SAVE MONEY WITH A 3-WAY LIGHT BULB

You can save energy using 3-way light bulbs. Personally, I don’t much care for 3-way light bulbs, but some folks do.

The problem I have is that I usually set them on high and never use the low or medium setting. I end up putting in a single speed 150-Watt bulb that saves on the purchase cost.

My wife likes 3-way lamps. The table lamp where she sits in our living room has one.

She uses the high power setting is for sewing, medium power for reading and low power is for watching TV. That results in energy savings some of the time.

I call it her pilot light, because it never goes out when she is home.

Most old incandescent 3-way light bulbs are a combination of a 50-Watt and a 100-Watt filament inside one bulb. With both turned on you get a 150 Watt lamp. They cost about $3 and don’t last very long.

The newer Compact Fluorescent Lamp 3-way light bulbs give about the same amount of light and use 14, 19 or 32 Watts depending on the setting. The lower Wattage does provide a good energy savings. They cost about $10 each but last a lot longer than the old Thomas Edison style bulbs do.

 

How to really save energy with them

If you use either a dimmer switch or 3-way lamps in your television room, you can save a significant amount of electricity.

Step one; dim the lights when the TV is on.

Step two; adjust the brightness on your TV to look its best when the lights are dimmed.

 

You save twice this way.

First, the dimmed lights use less power.

Second, the TV uses much less power when it is not as bright as it was set for in the store. You get a better TV picture and the TV uses less power went it is adjusted for optimum picture quality in a room with the lights dimmed.

It could make a 5 or 10 dollar a month savings on your electric bill. Plus, it will reduce eyestrain and you get the best possible TV picture. Your actual savings depends on how much you watch TV and how big your TV is.

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ARE LEDs THE ENERGY SAVING LIGHT OF THE FUTURE?

I had intended to buy a selection of LED light for testing at home. But, when I went shopping, I did not find any that were suitable for the places I have available to test them.

The problem is that, while LED bulbs hold promise, they are quite dim right now compared to other types of lamps. A large bulb with 36-LED lights inside of it uses only 2.5 watts of power, but puts out only 60 lumens. A regular 60-Watt Edison light bulb puts out about 1,600 lumens.

The currently available replacement LED lamps for home use are too dim for what I need. Also, some folks don’t like the harsh bright blue white light from them.

 

How energy efficient are they?

Engineers compare the efficiency of lighting by calculating lumens per Watt.

Typically, LED’s provide about 24 lumens per Watt. The most efficient LED’s can go as high as 37 lumens per Watt, but they have a narrowly focused beam of light. Good for spotlights but not for lighting up a whole room.

A 60-Watt Edison style light bulb provides about 1,600 lumens so it gets about 27 lumens per Watt. LEDs are similar to old fashion Edison bulbs in efficiency.

For comparison, commercial High Intensity Discharge lamps are good for about 90+ lumens per Watt.

CFL’s are good for 115 lumens per Watt. Fluorescent lighting is still the energy efficiency champion.

I did not include halogen lamps in this comparison because I do not recommend them for home use. They are too much of a fire hazard for me to use in my home.

 

So why all the interest in LED’s?

LED lights last a very long time (up to 60,000 hours) so they are a good choice for hard to reach areas. The long time between burnouts saves on the cost of labor to replace them. If they were bright enough their long life would likely pay for their premium cost.

They are durable. Vibration does not cause them to fail. Turning them on and off frequently does not shorten their useful life.

 LED bulbs contain no mercury so they are less of a pollution hazard the fluorescents.

They also turn on to full intensity instantly with no warm up time.

They work just fine in cold environments.

 

Where are LEDs used with success now?

Here is a list of applications where LEDs really shine now:

• Nightlights
• Flashlights
• Scoreboards
• Traffic signals
• Low intensity spotlights
• Exit route lights (theaters and airplanes)
• Exit sign lights
• Hallway and staircase illumination
• Off grid homes to minimize Wattage

 

As the technology develops, I am sure we will be using more LED lighting.But, they may not give the most light per dollars worth of energy.

For a good summary of what LEDs are and their history check out this article How Do They Do That? LEDs on Ohio Edison's Energy Line web site.   

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SAVE ELECTRICITY WITH MOTION SENSORS

Occupancy sensors can save money on the lighting bill in many places. The technology has advanced so motion detectors are not the nuisance that they used to be.

The earlier units used infrared technology would keep the lights on only when a warm body moved in front of them. If the sensor did not “see” any motion for a few minutes, the lights would go out.

The funniest poke at this that I remember was in a Dilbert cartoon. They hired temporary workers to wave their arms to keep the lights on in the engineering department where Dilbert works.

The newer units have dual technology that includes an ultrasonic listening device. They keep the lights on when it hears unusual sounds. These units teach themselves what the normal empty room noises are.

After they learn to ignore the sounds from the heating system, as example, they allow the lights to go off. That way the lights stay on until the unit cannot see any warm body motion and cannot hear anyone in the area. Warm body motion is still what turns the lights on but they do not go off until the noise is quiet for a time.

If you are in a restroom and the person in the next stall is whistling they may just be trying to keep the lights on.

These devices use electrical power to do their job of saving energy.

The low-end single technology units need to have a tiny flow of current to operate. That means that some power must flow through the light bulbs for them to work. This is not a problem for old fashion incandescent light bulbs. But, there is a problem with fluorescent lights. The small current flow, that powers the sensor, is enough to make fluorescent lamps flicker or never go completely out. That is why the inexpensive two-wire sensors do not work with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s).

This problem is solved by spending a little more money for a better sensor that has two parts, a sensor and a relay. The motion sensor operates all the time on its own power circuit and the sensor tells the relay when to switch the power on or off to the lights. They have three wires that need to be connected in the lighting circuit.

The more you spend the more you get.

The dual technology units have an infrared sensor plus an ultrasonic sensor and a separate black box. The black box is called other names like “power pack with load switch.” It takes in the supply power, passes it to the sensor, receives the go or no go signal from the sensor and turns a relay switch on or off to send power to the lights. There are about eight wires connected to the magic black box.

You need someone who can connect all eight wires to the right places. They should check the power draw to make sure you bought properly rated hardware.

In an office or commercial building the cost of buying the parts and pieces and connecting it all together will likely be paid off in a couple of years. That means the savings on the electrical bill will pay for the cost of installation in about two years. From then on, the savings is like money in the bank.

When working on a project like this I let my fingers do the shopping at Graybar.com. After I find what I need in their online catalog, I call them up for pricing. Then I can calculate the return on investment information for my client.

In general, occupancy sensors are a good investment for business. The problem for home use is that there are very few lamps wired to each motion sensor. Sometimes there is just one lamp controlled by a motion detector.

To make the worthwhile you need to use the least expensive sensor unit that will do the job and be patient. Expect a 3-year or longer payback, even though you use free do-it-yourself labor.

Motion sensors provide savings two ways.

First, you reduce the use of electricity by automatically shutting the lights off when they are not needed. That reduces your electric bills.

Second, the lamps will last longer because they are not on as much. You will not have to replace the light bulbs as often saving money on the maintenance budget.

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HALOGEN LIGHTS ARE TOO HOT TO TAKE HOME

I was wandering around in one of the big “We Sell Everything” stores while my wife was shopping for fabric. I ended up looking at light bulbs. It may seem to be an odd way to spend part of Saturday afternoon, but remember I am an energy engineer. I read the labels on light bulbs quite often.

I keep hoping that I will find a supply of new LED lamps that I can just screw in to my existing light sockets at home. But, they don’t make them yet.

The store had a wide selection of various light bulbs including many halogen bulbs. I keep looking at the halogen lighting products because the sure do put out a lot of bright light. They are great for car headlights being bright and lasting a long time. They may appear to be a good choice to get the lighting job done at home and save money.

I do not like them.

In my opinion, they have two problems that keep them out of my home.

The first is they are great for spot lighting, but because their light is so focused in a beam that they do not do a good job of lighting up a whole room. So, if you want to light up a room you need several of them aimed at different parts of the room. Because you need more of them to do the job, they don’t save money.

The bigger problem is that they are so hot that they are a fire hazard. If you use them, you need to take precautions to keep paper and other burnable items well away from them.

If you are going to use them, keep them limited to task lights. A good example is in a reading lamp.

The most efficient home lighting is fluorescent lighting or old fashion incandescent lights with a dimmer switch.

We use our dining room table as a craft work table some of the time. When my wife needs bright light for needlework or I need it to glue something back together, that I broke, we can turn it up. We still can turn it down for a candle light dinner.

Of course, the real energy saver lamps are the ones that are turned off.

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LIGHT SAVER OR THE KING OF DARKNESS

Written by Lorraine Summers

The humorist Erma Bombeck once described her husband as the “Prince of Darkness” because of his penchant for turning off light switches. Well he may be the “Prince of Darkness” but I am here to tell you that the guy you know as the Energy Boomer is really the “King of Darkness.”

While I realize that energy savings is nice, it does help to be able to see where you are going in the house! If my “King” has to get up during the night he never turns a light on, in fact he would rather break a toe than turn on a light. And yes, he has found the bedpost several times with his toes!

Now me, I like seeing where I am going, so I turn on the lights. I figure two minutes worth of electricity is not that expensive compared to a visit to the hospital Emergency Room.

Another area we differ in is whether the window shades should be up (for natural light) or down for heat and air conditioner savings. I vote for shades up but I frequently return to find all the shades down. The “King” has struck again!

I guess the reason we differ is because of our hobbies and interests. He loves his computer with its bright screen so the rest of the room can be dark. But, I like to do fine hand sewing that requires that I be able to see what I’m doing. I also prefer to read with a light instead of needing Braille already!

If I waited for the ten sunny days that Ohio gets each year, I would never get anything done.

Our two children are a whole lot like their dad about using light. In fact, when they were teenagers they both wanted to paint their bedroom ceiling and walls all black. Great just what we need, kids living in a bat cave.

Fortunately, one of them has our grown this wandering around in the dark. The other one still likes it dark in his apartment. You would think that after his mother gave him a table lamp he would have gotten the hint.

So, in spite of our differences about energy savings we have come to a sort of compromise. He turns off the lights and I always keep a flashlight handy!

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DO DIMMER SWITCHES SAVE MONEY?

Yes, unless they are a very old design. Old rheostat type dimmers just changed the extra power into heat right at the dimmer switch.

Newer dimmer switches do reduce the power used as you turn the light down.

The big advantage is you can change the amount of light you use to be bright for reading and reduced for just passage way lighting or to set a romantic mood.

It is nice to have a romantic mood save money for a change.

The other good news is that dimmers also extend the life of the light bulb. Those hard to reach ceiling lamps will not burn out as soon if you use a dimmer to tone them down a bit.

When a light is dimmed by 25%, the dimmer switch saves about 20% of the electricity required. When dimmed by 50%, it saves 40% of the electricity. Use just what you need and keep some money in your pocket. A good deal.

Problems with dimmers

Fluorescent lights don’t like to be dimmed, even those marketed as dimmable. When you use “dimmable” fluorescent lamps on a dimmer switch, it actually shortens the life of the lamp.

Dimmers just don’t work with most fluorescent lamps.

Dimmers are not recommended for Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL’s).

Looking to the future

Dimmers do not cost much and are easy to install but there is a problem ahead. The political winds are blowing so strongly in favor of compact fluorescent lamps that we may be forced replace incandescent bulbs, that do work with dimmers, with CFL’s that don’t work with dimmers.

Yes, you will save money but you loose freedom to change your lighting levels and freedom of choice.

Australia is going this way, and they are looked at as a great example for other countries to follow, including the USA.

Soon the light bulb police will come around to you house and shoot out your old style lamps. Realistically, production of incandescent lamps will grind to a halt due to economic forces before that happens.

If you have dimmers, use them to save money now. It may not be a good investment to install more. But, then there is that romantic mood idea, so go ahead and use them if you want them.

Here is a source for dimmable CFL's

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SAVE ENERGY WITH CHRISTMAS LIGHTING

It is the time of year when we use strings of decorative lights to add a little sparkle to our lives. Christmas lights make my house more festive and cheerful. The new LED lights make the season a little easier on the electric bill than older designs. I do not want you to trash the old ones and run out to buy new lights. That is false economy. But, if you need to replace an old string or if you just need more lights, please do give LED lights a try.

Three reasons to buy LED decorative lights.

1. They use the least amount of electricity per lamp
2. They last longer that anything else
3. They operate cooler so they are a low fire risk

While I drive to work in the predawn darkness, I am amazed at the number of homes along the way that have outdoor Christmas lights blazing. I sure enjoy their cheerful glitter and glow. I hope that they are all on timers. If they have been left on all night just for my early morning pleasure, it costs somebody more than it should.

A simple appliance timer can be set to control the lights.

1. On just before dark
2. Off during sleep hours
3. On at 6 am for me to enjoy on my early morning commute to work
4. Off at sunrise

If you use an appliance timer for outdoor lights, make sure it has a three wire grounded plug and that it is made for outdoor use.

Appliance timers take the work out of all that switching on and off. They save you money by switching the lights off even when you forget.

Mine works like a reverse alarm clock. At night when the lights click off I know it is time to shut down the computer and go to bed.

Click here for a free money saving report titled HOW SAVE MONEY ON YOUR NEXT HEATING BILL

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MOTION DETECTOR LIGHTING CONTROL PROBLEMS

I’ve noticed that our kitchen light is left on a lot more than it needs to be. The problem is, whenever we go in or out of the kitchen, we have both of our hands full.

Carrying that hot dish to the dining room takes two hands leaving none for the light switch. Same thing going the other way. To be efficient we load up both hands when bringing in groceries from the car.

A motion detector should be a good solution.

When leaving the kitchen with a beer and a sandwich to return to the game on TV. The forgotten light will go out on its own. When taking dirty dishes to the kitchen, loaded down with both hand full, the light will come on as soon as you step into the kitchen. Life is good.

So I bought one

I got one that has a time delay and light sensitivity adjustment for about $20 at our local Mega Chain building supply store. It came with a switch cover plate made for it. It was a Cooper Wiring Devices Model 6105.

Other things that I needed to install it:

A screwdriver

Fresh cookies. I like oatmeal cookies

Cool drinks. I like apple cider.

Motion detectors are easy to install right?

First, I shut the power off for safety. Go to the circuit breaker panel in the basement or garage. Start switching breakers off, one at a time. A helper in the kitchen watched for the light to go out.

When your helper finally yells that the light went out label the circuit breaker so you know which one to try first next time. Go to the kitchen and try to turn the light on by switching the switch a couple of times. Trust but verify.

1. OK time to work. Remove the faceplate and the top and bottoms screws that hold the switch in place. Pull the switch out so you can get at the wires.

2. Stop. Look at the wires; notice their colors and where each one is connected. Notice where the green ground wire is connected

3. Disconnect the wire one at a time. Treat them as if they are still energized. Keep them apart and only touch one at a time.

4. One by one connect them to the new motion detector switch. . It was a quick job with just three wire nuts to hold the wires together.

5. Push the wires and switch back into the hole in the wall. Put the top and bottom screws in to hold the switch in place.

6. Hold off putting the new faceplate on. On mine, there was a small cover over the adjusting screws that has to go on before the faceplate held it all together. It is time to test your work.

Station a helper in the kitchen to watch what happens when you switch the power back on. They need to stand at least 6 feet away from the new switch. If there are any loud noises or smoke, they need to yell for you to switch the power off.

If you got everything put together and the new switch is good the light should come on with no other excitement.

Get everyone a cold drink and cookie then step out of the kitchen. Notice how long it is before the lights automatically switch off. Walk in to steal another cookie and see if the light turns on, as it should.

About that time, my wife says, Houston we have a problem.

The ceiling light in the kitchen is flickering on and off at a very rapid rate.

If all else fails read the instructions. The package clearly says, NOT FOR USE WITH ELECTRONIC BALLASTS. That did not register in my head until now. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CLF) have electronic ballasts.

After hunting for a time, I finally found three old light bulbs to replace the money saving CFL lamps.

A one minute delay was not enough. We found that the light went out because we did stand still that long while watching the bacon fry. A 5 minute delay seams to work well.

I ended up removing the motion detector.

My wife was not happy. She does not trust appliances. She always waits to see if the car headlights really do go off. She may start waiting for the kitchen lights to go out.

It also has the disadvantage of turning on to let the neighbors know when a half dressed person raids the refrigerator during the night. Besides if we had a teenager or puppy in the house the lights would go on and off all night.

Not being able to use the CFL lamps to save money make the whole idea questionable.

Cooper Wiring Devices makes a commercial grade model 6111 that would work just fine at twice the price.

No deal, beside we are out of cookies.

Click here for a selection of motion detector switches

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SAVE ENERGY WITH AUTOMATIC LIGHTING CONTROLS

Motion detectors, photocells and timers are not new. We see them at work, in hotels and at the shopping mall. We don’t take them home as much as we should.

Automated lighting controls should be used to provide convenience, security, save energy and to prevent brain cell burn out.

Photocells Photo cell lighting controls turn lights on when daylight fades into nighttime.

They are good for indoor Night-lights (LED night-lights are best) OK for outdoor all night lighting. Personally, I do not like all night outdoor lighting, especially my neighbor’s mercury lamps. I would rather use motion detector control with a manual override switch.

Clock Timers Clock timers or lamp timers are good for turning security lights on and off when you are not home. This is probably the oldest type of automatic control for home lights. It still works well.

Countdown Timers Twist to turn on type limits energy use; you have likely seen these in hotel bathrooms or hot tubs.

Bathroom heat lamps Bathroom exhaust fans Kitchen exhaust fans

Coin Operated Countdown Timers I am still looking for a good source for these.

Shower stall lights Television sets Computers Electronic games Stereo boom box in teen’s room

Motion detectors Motion detectors provide convenience when your hands are full plus they automatically switch off to save energy. They are often used with security systems, but they have more to offer than just sounding an alarm.

Outdoor lights Garage lights Kitchen ceiling lights Entryway lights Breezeway lights Mudroom lights Laundry room lights Closet lights

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SAVE ELECTRICITY WITH TASK LIGHTING

The bumper sticker phrase on task lighting is, “Don’t turn on all the lights just to read one sheet of paper.”

The best example of using task lights at home is in the kitchen.

One light fixture in the center of the ceiling is intended to light up the whole room. But, at night when there is no daylight that isn’t enough light for some tasks. For some tasks, the cook’s body casts a shadow on the work being done.

In the vent hood over the stovetop there is a task light to help folks see what’s cooking. Over the sink is another fluorescent light, ready to assist in quality control inspections, to make sure the dishes get really clean. We have other fluorescent lights under the cupboards that illuminate work being done in the pie-making zone.

Each task light can be used individually, just for the work at hand, without turning them all on. Using task lighting help you do a good job and save on the electricity bill.

The same principle applies at work.

The over all lighting levels do not need to be as bright when folks can switch on a light that is focused just where it is needed.

Keeping general lighting levels down to about 30 foot candles saves power and provides plenty of light for safely navigating around the factory or office.

Put more light just where it is needed. Make it so the person doing the work can aim it to suit the task at hand.

Examples of task lighting are desk lamp, quality inspection lighting and workbench lights.

Proper use of task lights helps to get the work done more effectively and reduce the overall cost of electrical power used for lighting.

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DOES A BURNED OUT LIGHT BULB USE ELECTRICITY?

One of my readers asked that question recently. If you are talking about an old style light bulb the answer is no. When the filament in the bulb burns out there is a gap in the electric circuit. Just like when a fuse blows. No electrons can jump the gap so no power flows.

Leaving a burned out bulb in a fixture prevents anyone from sticking fingers into a live light socket. It is good safety idea when there are children of all ages around.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps may be a different story. Fluorescent lamps need a boosted voltage so there is a “ballast” inside the base of the “bulb”. Ballasts used to take a measurable amount of power to do their job in addition the power used by the lamp.

Modern electronic ballasts use very little power. Next time I get my hands on a burned out CFL, I will test it with my Kill-A-Watt meter. Trouble is I may have to wait a long time for one of my CFLs to burn out.

If a CFL quits working it may be the ballast that burned out stopping the flow of electricity completely. If the ballast is still good but the lamp is the part that stopped working it may still use a little power. The cost may be a penny or two a year.

Click here for a free money saving report titled HOW SAVE MONEY ON YOUR NEXT HEATING BILL

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REMOVE OBSTRUCTED LIGHTS TO SAVE ENERGY

Take a targeted walk around your work place. Carry a copy of the floor plan or similar map along with you. Having something in your hand makes you look busy and avoid distraction. When you find lights that should be relocated or removed, you can mark the location on the drawing.

Focus on each light fixture as you come to it. Looking at them, one at a time, ask yourself can that one be done away with? Is it blocked, are there pipes or cables under it that make it ineffective? Has equipment been added near it making a shadow where there should be light?

During the construction of buildings, the lighting is one of the first items completed so other work can be finished with the help of illumination. As the years go by and the business evolves, additional equipment is installed and changes are made without changing the lighting layout. This often results in light fixture being located where light is not needed.

You may be surprised at the number of light fixtures that can be removed. The savings it two fold. The amount of electricity used is reduced and the maintenance effort is reduced.

Some lights are need but are ineffective at their present location. The light may be partially blocked or shadows thrown where direct lighting is needed. If you are not getting full value for the energy used, consider relocating the light fixture. It is better to spend money to relocate the light or change to a better design for that location than it is to continue to pay for light that is not giving you full value.

When adding up the cost savings for removing the excess lighting count the lamp wattage plus the watts consumed by the ballast.

Tip from the ENERGY BOOMER; take a few photographs of some of the blocked lights that are to be removed. Then present the cost savings and the photographs to get approval to proceed.

Click here for a free money saving report titled HOW SAVE MONEY ON YOUR NEXT HEATING BILL

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The popular new Compact Fluorescent Lamps may not be a good deal for renters. CFL's will last longer than your lease. If you are planning to move after a year or two CFL’s may not be a good investment. It takes more than a year to pay back the extra cost of these lamps. They are made of glass and, based on my moving experiences; they are likely to get broken if you take them with you.

Stick with the cheapest bulbs that you can buy. Then buy plug in appliance timers to control some of your lights. They help with security and if you follow a regular schedule, you can have them turn on the lights and your stereo instead of using an alarm clock.

If you are forgetful about turning lights off, motion detectors may help. Get the kind that you can take with you to use at your next place.

Most importantly put light only where you need it. Think about lighting the task or work area not the whole room. Lights over tables or on desks are good examples. Give yourself plenty of light where you need it but only where you need it. If you read sitting in your favorite chair, light up that part of the room only.

I recommend night-lights with a built in photo eye, that turn themselves off when there is enough other light in the area. If you use them to avoid tripping hazards without turning on the big lights on you can save money. Take them with you when you move out. Get one for each bathroom and try another one in various other places to see if it helps avoid switching on the big lights. If you light the path to the refrigerator, you can get a midnight snack with out switching on any other lights.

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LIGHTS ON LIGHTS OFF

The other day my wife was commenting that her closet was like a refrigerator. She has to lay out her clothes so they can warm up on these winter days.

That got me to thinking. Perhaps the closet light should be rigged to come on when the door opens “like a refrigerator” and switch off when the door closes. A quick check on the internet revealed that this isn’t a new idea. There are several door jam switches available for just this purpose. If we had one, I’d be looking through the key hole to see if the light really did go out when the door closed.

Automatic lighting controls are getting to be a normal part of our lives. They save money by automatically switching the lights off when there is no one there. Occupancy sensor controls are being used more all the time, and not just for lights.

I was talking to a supplier who told me that one company was installing motion detectors to control the people cooling fans at their production lines. When no one is there the fans automatically go off.

I like to have the feeling that I am in control of some things in life. I do not like giving in to automatic controls. On the other hand, I like it when my car headlights automatically switch off after I forgot them. It saves me from the grief of a dead battery.

We could save money at home and at work if we installed more automatic controls. But, automatic controls cost money plus they add more work to be done whenever equipment is replaced.

The best answer is to rely on good people shutting lights and fans off when they are not needed. You save when you switch things off when you leave home. We save when you switch things off when you stop work, take a break or pause for lunch.

Shutting equipment off when it is not needed saves cash and reduces the amount of coal that is burned to generate electricity. It is good for the checkbook and good for the environment.

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The question of "Is it better turn them off or let them burn" is often asked. The answer is, "if you are not using them, turn them off." Lights only use electricity when they are on.

Some folks believe that it takes more power to turn a fluorescent lamp on than to leave it on. Modern fluorescent lamps use very little starting energy. Turning them off actually helps them last longer and saves energy.

A fluorescent lamp’s "starting surge" lasts only 1/120 of a second. Turning the lights off for one second saves the energy required to turn them back on.

A standard fluorescent lamp can shine for 34,000 hours if left on 24 hours a day. This equals about 4 years of round-the-clock use. Turning the lamp off for 12 hours a day increases the overall life of the lamp to about 8 years. Turning lights off reduces lamp maintenance cost and reduces electric bills.

For example turning off a one-tube light for half an hour a day can save about $3 in energy over the life of the lamp. The money saved by this is typically more than the price of a new lamp. In short, you should turn off lights in your home, office or workstation when you leave, even if it is for just a few minutes.

Getting in the habit of switching lights off at home and at work will reduce the electric bill.

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DO OLD FASHION LIGHT BULBS HEAT YOUR HOUSE?

The light bulb that Thomas Edison invented is a good heater. It changes about 90% of the electrical energy that it uses into heat. The little bit of energy that is left gets changed into light. We all know that if you touch one of these bulbs when it is on you will get burned.

If we lived in a very cold climate and electricity was cheep light bulbs would be a good way to heat your house. But it is not cold here in the summer time and electricity is very expensive.

The High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps that we use at work are more efficient but still convert about 80% of the power they use into heat. Factories use them because they last a good long time and put out a lot of light. The amount of light is so great that they need to be hung high above the floor to let their light spread out over a large area. These lamps are too hot and put out too much light for home use.

In low ceiling areas like our homes fluorescent lamps are a better choice. And they don’t get as skin blistering hot. Don’t touch them because the ends do get hot enough to burn you. Fluorescent lamps only change about 30% of the electricity that they use into heat. A bigger share of the power they use is changed into light. That makes them a good choice for lighting your house. They cost more to buy than standard light bulbs but they save money because they use less electricity and last much longer.

What a deal you save money and less coal gets burned too.

Changing to compact fluorscent lamps when your light bulbs burn out is one way to lower your energy bill. A better way is to replace the good bulbs in the lamps that are turned on the most with compact fluorescent lamps. Kitchen and living room lights are a good place to start. We have a lamp in our living room that I call our pilot light because my wife never lets it go out.

One point that gets little attention is that many of the old style light bulbs are made in the USA. The CFL lamps are made in China. Buying compact fluorescent lamps sends jobs overseas.

I do not recommend the halogen lamps that are now available for home use. They are energy efficient but they get very very hot. They are too much of a fire hazard to use in my home. My estimate is that they turn about 80% of the power that they use into heat. The heat is very concentrated in these small lamps. They are great for headlights on cars.

Warning, never touch the glass part of halogen bulbs. Fingerprints shorten their useful life to just a few weeks or less. I learned this the hard way when I replace a burned out headlamp myself. Normally they should last many years. The interaction of fingerprint contamination and their high temperatures causes the early failures.

A light that is turned off when not needed makes no heat and adds nothing to your home the electric bill. It works the same way at work too.

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