DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been arguing about his leaving the lights on throughout our house. He's convinced that it adds little to our electric bill, but it bothers me that every single light is left burning. I realize there is a cost difference between incandescent and fluorescent lighting, but leaving all the lights on seems unnecessary and wasteful to me. Could you please "shed some light" on our argument? -- LIT UP IN JOHNSON CITY, TENN.
DEAR LIT UP: According to the Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) in Washington, D.C., leaving a 100-watt incandescent bulb on for 12 hours a day for one month will add $40 per year to your electric bill. Multiply that by the number of bulbs in your home and it can add up quickly.
Fluorescent bulbs use fewer watts than incandescent bulbs, but turning them on ages the filaments -- so if they'll be turned on again within a minute or two, leave them on. (This is not a recommendation to leave fluorescent bulbs burning constantly, just a suggestion that if they won't be needed after a few minutes, to turn them off.)
LED bulbs are more expensive to buy, but they last longer, use less wattage and emit brighter light. However, when the illumination is no longer needed, they, too, should be extinguished.
P.S. Since your husband has money to burn, why not invest in motion sensors so he'll have light wherever he goes without inflating your energy bills?