Switching off the light after three minutes saves electricity – and a lot of money

Created: 11/25/2022, 7:30 p.m

By: Jasmine Farah

Almost every child has heard it before: If you leave a room, you immediately turn off the light.

This saves electricity and is easy on the wallet.

But, is this really the truth?

In the dark season you stay much more often in your own four walls.

It's nice and cozy there when it's cold and wet outside, but at the same time you use a lot of electricity.

After all, the lighting in the household is partly on all the time in many rooms - doesn't that have to cost money?

Some have previously received scolding from their parents for simply leaving a room and forgetting to turn off the light behind them.

After all, that is a waste of energy, and it makes no sense to leave the light on when you are no longer in a room.

Due to the energy crisis, however, this sentence is more relevant than ever.

Leaving the lights on in the room can be cheaper in some cases

Many households are currently trying to save electricity as best they can.

If you don't stay in a room for a long time, the light naturally stays off.

But do I also have to do it if I just go to the toilet for a moment or get something to drink in the kitchen?

Depending on the bulb, it can even cause it to consume more electricity than usual.

In some cases it can be more expensive to turn off the light immediately instead of leaving it on.

© Micha Klootwijk/Imago

After all, a standard light bulb has an inrush current that is higher than the normal current.

In concrete terms, this means that if you keep switching the light on and off again, you end up using more electricity than if you leave it on all the time.

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In addition, conventional light bulbs are not particularly energy-efficient.

Only about five percent of the energy consumed is used to generate light, the rest is lost as heat.

So it's better to swap light bulbs for LED bulbs right away.

As a rule, these consume 90 percent less energy than the former.

In addition, the consumption when switching on is lower.

Furniture, refrigerators, lighting: seven tips for saving electricity in your own four walls 

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Light on or off?

You save a lot of money with the 3-minute rule

recommends turning

off the light in the room after three minutes at the latest.

This way you save a lot of money.

However, energy-saving lamps are not an option.

Their power consumption when they are switched on is about the same as if they were already burning for five minutes.

The rule of thumb is: If you are not in a room for a long time, it is better to switch off the light.

If you only leave it for a short time, you can leave the light on with a clear conscience.

On the other hand, rooms that are rarely used, such as the basement or storage room, can be equipped with motion detectors.