Is it really cheaper to keep floresent lights turned on than to turn them off and on?
150598
It depends on how long they are off before turning them back on.  I've read that if the light is going to be off for more than 30 min., then turn it off.  If it needs to be back on within 30 min., then just leave it on.
367928
One does not need studies to know that turning something OFF uses less elecricity than something that is ON. Just like a car that is not running uses less gas than a car that is running..whoooaah
1177158
I just watched something about this on Oprah today. There's these lightbulbs you can buy for about $10 each that have 10 times the life of regular lightbulbs and use up to 66% LESS energy. Also, RECYCLE, REDUCE, REUSE! Plant trees! Use as much recycled materials as you can! And spread the word! Let's all become environmentalists so we can save the Earth for our children and THEIR children! :)
966920
Compact Fluorescent Lamps\n\n  ************************************************************************\n  *                  COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS                     *\n  *                                                                      *\n  *                       **** Version 1.10 ****                         *\n  *                                                                      *\n  *                      Copyright (C) 1996, 1999                        *\n  *                        Samuel M. Goldwasser                          *\n  *                        Donald L. Klipstein                           *\n  *                                                                      *\n  *        Corrections or suggestions to: sam@stdavids.marconimed.com    *\n  *                                       don@misty.com                  *\n  *                                                                      *\n  *                     --- All Rights Reserved ---                      *\n  *                                                                      *\n  *    Reproduction of this document in whole or in part is permitted    *\n  *    if both of the following conditions are satisfied:                *\n  *                                                                      *\n  *     1. This notice is included in its entirety at the beginning.     *\n  *     2. There is no charge except to cover the costs of copying.      *\n  *                                                                      *\n  ************************************************************************\n\n...\n\n8.  Like other fluorescents, operation at cold temperatures (under around\n    50 degrees F) may cause reduced light output or erratic operation.\n    Some models work fairly well down to about 35 degrees F, others may\n    get noticeably dim below 60 degrees F.  The optimum temperature range\n    of a particular lamp may vary with burning position, generally\n    preferring cooler temperatures if operated base-down.\n    Compact fluorescents may also not like excessive heat.  Some ballasts\n    are unreliable in ambient temperatures much over 120 degrees F.  This\n    is sometimes a problem in enclosed or recessed ceiling fixtures if\n    heat in the fixture builds up.
200962
Turn off and on is the best way, change your bulbs to ones rated for Energysaving, change your appliances to Energuide branded.\n\nMake sure all your windows and doorways are sealed (helps with fires too!), adjust your heating and cooling for a moderate temperature
48443
honestly, in terms of today's technology, it really doesn't matter at all.  Many times, people are worried that keeping it on will wear out the components, and sometimes that turning it back on will shock the components too much.  If you're buying a new computer every 4-5 years, it really does not matter
183232
Well yes! IMO none of the manufacturers give u a off switch, so the mouse is working day and night. However the battery consumption of such mice is nominal. Mine needs battery changing once every 6 months
330950
actualy, i think they use the same voltage, but have a transformer on the batery to up the voltage to the needed amount. are you looking for the bulb, or a batery powered fixture. you use a standard bulb, you can find it anywhere florescant bulbs are sold. i have seen those fixtures at spencer's and places like that.
4565
Not true...  generally. Standard bulbs may have a reduced life span as result of constant on-and-off because of the constant temperature fluctuation of the filament. As for energy consumption, the initial warm-up is almost instant such that it "essentially" does not use any more energy to turn on. Halogen bulbs are similar to standard bulbs except the bulb is pressurized with halogen gas for more light output. LEDs are not affected either way. As for florescent bulbs, they do require a ballast to initially heat the gas up which DOES take a little more energy to start up than run - but definitely not 30 minutes worth of running.\n\nYour air conditioner is a different story. It requires a surge of amperage to start up and uses far less energy to simply run. I still wouldn’t say it compares to 30 minutes worth of constant running though - maybe 10 or so. Your AC turning on an off constantly will not only produce a higher energy bill but will wear out the electrical components faster.
647163
Hey, Benni.  When I was interning in the power industry I had to review some electric bills for a rather large office in downtown Chicago.  They were on the order of tens of thousands of dollars per month.  And this was not anywhere near what a stadium would use.\n\nI'll try to find some figures for you and will edit this post with sources when I find them.  Note that, for indoor stadiums, the cost will be much higher because of heating/cooling.\n\nUpdate: Below is the site of a stadium that says its bulbs are 1500W each.  Each pole looks to have about 12 bulbs.  There looks like there are at least 8 poles.  That's 144kW in lighting.  Assuming they're on for 5 hours a night, that's 720 kWh just in the lights every night that they're turned on.  At $0.05/kWh (they probably get a better rate than that), that comes to $36,000 per night.  Note that that doesn't include ANY other power sources, but is still a highly speculative number.  I'll let you know if I can find anything more definitive.\n\n2nd Update:  The Baltimore Ravens' stadium has two jumbo screens that can consume up to 80 kW.\n\nFinal Update:  The New York Giants' stadium consumes enough power to run 4,000 homes on gameday.  Assuming a typical home uses 800 kWh / month, that is about 1 kW at any given time, which means their stadium uses about 4 MW on gameday.  Assuming this lasts for 5 hours, that's 2000 kWh in one day.  Not a bad number with the above lighting (for a smaller stadium) listed at 720 kWh...  At $0.05/kWh, that's $100,000 every game.  I also came across a site which said Penn State university's electric bill is over $1 million each month.\n\nUpdate on your question:  My above calculation is incorrect.  If a stadium uses 4 MW on gameday for 5 hours, it uses 20,000 kWh on that day, which is then $1,000 at $0.05/kWh.  I think the number is conservative, though.  Sorry for the misunderstanding!
174509
Ours don't do it every night, but they do it occationally (like once a week or so). I was told it was because the bulbs tend to accumulate moisture inside them and if you don't heat up the bulbs to reduce the moisture level periodically, when you do turn them on they will all tend to blow out really quickly. So, I guess that means using them makes them last longer.
640833
Yes. Especially if they turn the lights out whilst doing it.
772064
change all your lightbulbs to the energy saving flourescent ones.  and try and carpool when necessary to save on gas.  Turn your thermostat down a few degrees and just be aware.
830929
Compact fluorescents are very like ordinary fluorescent bulbs (see refs.) but with smaller, coiled tubes and reduced-size electronic components (starter, ballast) hidden in the base. The price has fallen because of the huge volume they are now made in. They use less power for the light they produce because the light energy is emitted from an ionized gas (and converted to visible light by the phosphor coating inside the bulb) instead of from a heated wire as in conventional light bulbs. This is a more efficient process because it generates far less useless heat, which you can confirm for yourself by feeling one and comparing to the very hot conventional bulb. They also save the consumer more money by having a very long lifetime, typically 10,000-20,000 hours compared to 500-2000 hours for conventional bulbs. Another advantage is that they don't heat the socket they are screwed into nearly as much, resulting in longer socket life too.
694875
I recommend leaving it on, provided--\n- If you are connected to the internet full time, you  have good up-to-date security software (firewall (software and on router), anitvirus, and spyware.  As added security, when not running scheduled updates over internet, many modems have an off switch; turn it off when not actively using the internet.\n- If you have an UPS.  While lightening over lines connected to the computer can destroy parts of it, a good surge protector works wonders--most of the time.  The UPS also answers the problem of low voltage spikes.  When the voltage drops and comes back up, without a UPS, your computer starts to turn off.  When the voltage kicks back in, the drive restarts after slowing which is hard on the drive.
327294
Some lights are on a timer to save electricity.
706628
Although there may be no observable leakage path for DC or low frequency AC, at RF it radiates. Yes, it is certainly possible to light fluorescent tubes by RF, without any connection. \n\nI've read of people living in high-rise bldgs in NYC in the beam path of broadcast antennas (radio or tv stations) and they did not have to pay anything to the electric company to light their apartments! Just use fluorescent tubes. \n\n(To be able to sleep, they had to put the tubes in the closet! Makes you wonder what all that RF might have been doing to the family jewels and their precious essence!)\n\n22 NOV 06, 0415 hrs, GMT.