I have
recently started a new job and work in accounting; I have noticed in most
common areas and individual offices we have installed motion sensors. I’ve
noticed this has helped reduce our monthly expenses which brought me to ask
myself, is there any reason why I cannot use this same technology for my home?
Since
I work in accounting, I did some research to find if these controls are really
worth it. Motion sensors are an efficient and durable lighting approach that
can stand up to the test of every day usage. According to the Energy
Information Administration (EIA), electricity now accounts for 61% of all
energy consumed in commercial buildings. If you translate that percentage to
your home, look at your bill and calculate that high percentage and how
effective light motion sensors could be.
During
my research I found that some people are concerned that it is always using
power, since it is plugged in all the time, searching for any motion. Motion
sensing switches do have some phantom energy use. Let me explain in a quick
example, if a motion sensor switch uses about a watt of energy on standby mode
for 23 hours a day and 5 watts on active mode for about an hour a day, this
could trim a bit off of your overall savings. So what is the real cost, over
the course of a month, according to the NPR.org, the nationwide average of
electricity costs $0.12 per kilowatt hour, the switch itself may use up to 0.84
kilowatt hours, or about $0.10 of energy, per month. Compare this with kids or
family member leaving the light switch on for hours at a time and this can add
up, room by room.
Let’s
look at this issue from another direction, how many lights are in a light
fixture? The light fixture in our bathroom has six lights in it. If these all
contained sixty (60) watt bulbs and we left it on for a day, the energy use
alone would have made the automatic light switch worth it! How many lights are
in a fixture, do you have recessed lights that contain 6-8 lights all heating
up the room and driving up your energy usage. And how many hours per day are
they accidentally left on?
I
could easily see using motion sensors in most rooms in my home. If I never have to yell, “turn the lights
off” anymore, that would be a dream come true and money well spent. I have gone
home frequently after work and noticed the basement lights left on, how
frustrating. What are areas of the house where you might accidentally leave the
lights on for long periods without noticing. Hallways, closets, bedrooms,
laundry rooms, utility closets and bathrooms. This is particularly true if
there are multiple lights on that switch. Kitchens and family rooms seem to be
two areas where lights get turned on and never turned off, kids walking away
into their bedrooms or leave the house, simply leaving the lights on for
someone else to turn off.
So now
that I’m convinced to use motions sensors, I felt like it may be a daunting
task to install, I am kind of handy but I know nothing about electricity. Of
course I’d always recommend a licensed contract if you are concerned, but I
quickly found a few “how to” videos on line. In less than two minutes I felt
convinced I could install these myself! The first video I watched was made by
the company selling the device, but I also found install “how to” videos from
homeowners installing these as well! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-R-JtMBMho Easy
enough to follow! I found cost effective solutions made by Top Greener Inc.
There Amazon reviews convinced me to give them a try. For more information you
can find their products at: https://www.topgreener.com/lighting-control/sensors/occupancy-vacancy-sensors.html
or check Amazon. I’m excited about making the
leap from seeing these at work to using them in my own home and feel like I’m
building a smarter more energy efficient home.
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