Frugal living tip #27. July 6, 2009
Posted by ourfriendben in Ben Franklin, homesteading, wit and wisdom.Tags: energy savings, frugal living, frugal living tips, frugality
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Silence Dogood here. Here at Poor Richard’s Almanac, we’ve vowed to post a Frugal Living Tip every week through 2009 to help folks like us get through these tough economic times. It’s Monday, and that means it’s time for this week’s tip, brought to you courtesy of our local electric company, PPL Electric Ultilities.
Yes, you read that right. I was paying my bills this morning, and the electric bill always includes a bulletin about how you can save money by reducing your home’s electric use. This time, it featured a tip that made a lot of sense to me, and that I’d never have thought of, since our friend Ben and I seldom turn on our outdoor lights. But we see plenty of floodlights glaring away through the night, obviously on dusk-to-dawn timers, so I know lots of folks could save money by putting this tip into practice. Especially since, once they’ve set up the fixture and timer, they probably never give it another thought.
Here’s what the PPL folks had to say: “The outdoor porch or post lamp is lit more than just about any light fixture in the typical home. This makes it an obvious choice for an energy-efficiency upgrade. To save energy and money, switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. They use up to 75% less energy and last up to 10 times longer. To save even more, install a new ENERGY STAR qualified outdoor fixture. These fixtures often feature motion sensors or photocells that activate the light when there’s movement or when it’s dark.”
Thanks, PPL! For all of you who keep your outdoor lights on after dark, this is great advice. Go for it!!!
‘Til next time,
Silence
That’s a good tip. We already have CFL in our outdoor lights.
I thought so, too. And count on you all to already be doing it!
Very cool tip. I am a pitch black sleeper so we would never leave our porch light on (close to the bedroom window) but I know the folks across the street do–too much light!! We do use a CFL in our porch light in any case.
Good for you, Becca! The across-the-street house has a big floodlight that shines through my bedroom windows and makes it very hard to sleep. When I was a child, I had shades in my room that were cream-colored but had black centers so absolutely no light leaked through. I loved them! But now that I get up at 5:30, I need to see the morning light or I might never get up (unless a crying puppy gave me a subtle hint…).