Photo Credit - Suto Norbert: Dreamstime.com

When was the last time that you left the kitchen with every intention of returning and then getting distracted in another room of the house? Did you leave the lights on? When was the last time you left the front porch light on all night? When was the last time that you turned on all the lights in the living room, just to watch television? Did you ever stop to think that you were wasting energy? Well, today you will.

The moment you flip the light switch off, you are saving money. That means you save money by the hour, minute, even second. Every light bulb has a watt rating printed on its surface. This rating will tell you how much electricity the light bulb uses. A 60watt bulb uses 0.06 kilowatts per hour. If you can get into the habit of turning off those lights, you could save 10 to 20 percent of your electricity usage.

It’s a pretty simple habit and one that can have great benefits. The cost may not be that high for a room with only one light bulb, like a closet, but think of those rooms where we tend to leave the lights on even when they are not in use. The kitchen and living room in most houses have much more than one light bulb and that is draining energy. Work with as little light as you can, this will help save you some energy. During the day try to work in rooms with lots of natural light, that will diminish the need for artificial light (and it’s a good stress reliever).

Living a sustainable life style doesn’t have to be hard, you just have to be conscientious of what you are doing. Always think about how you can get by with less. In today’s society we waste more than is really necessary. You would be surprised at how easy it is to get by on less.