I read it in a book; that the electricity used with having the lights on will not cost any extra because the heat given off by the bulbs will balance out with the electric heat. It was an old book on home economies and was in question and answer format.
2006-12-11 13:15:49 · 8 answers · asked by Dellajoy 6 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I think it is an old fairy tale. What is true is that the more bulbs you have on at a given moment, the hotter the room will tend to get, but whether this causes you to be able to not to have to use your heater or to use it less depends on the number of bulbs on and the size of the room. But in any case using light bulbs to heat is not as efficient as the heater itself due to resistance in the bulbs giving off light as oppposed to a "pure" current; this means that per kilowatt of energy consumption your heater is much more efficient at heating. But if you have a thermostat it's entirely possible that having bulbs on would forestall it kicking in due to a drop in outside temperature.
2006-12-13 05:20:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you set the thermostat at 40 F, HAHA. What I think they are talking about is passive heat from lighting and equipment. To be "free", loosely defined, the lighting and heat producing equipment, like refrigerators, ranges, electronics etc would have to produce enough heat to keep the electric furnace from kicking on, AND use fewer kilowatt/hours than just the furnace and normal lighting. Don't know off hand how much heat a 75 or 100 w incandescent bulb produces, but I'd bet it isn't efficient enough to do that. Even if you keep the thermostat really low.
However, with proper solar alignment and materials, commercial buildings can be heated that way. Believe it or not. Because of people, computers, lighting, etc, and zero occupancy at night, except on the coldest of days and cloud cover, an office or other commercial building can be passively heated. But not typical residential construction. Not without trombe walls or heat sinks or active systems.
2006-12-11 15:48:18 · answer #2 · answered by robling_dwrdesign 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing is "for free".
However, it is possible to trade electric power consumption from the lighting with electricity to power the electric heat. Assuming that the electric heat has a thermostat, set it for the desired temperature. It will measure temperature at that height on the wall.
Now turn on whatever lighting "in the same room with the thermostat" that is desired. Heat added to the room from the lights will offset the heat that must be supplied by the heating system. Heat from lighting in other rooms will not likely travel to the room where the thermostat can detect it, so the offset will not occur in that case. The other room will just be a little warmer instead but more electricity will be used.
2006-12-11 13:23:25 · answer #3 · answered by Thomas K 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The meter would not "ability" the domicile, it merely measures the electrical powered energy passing via it from the provider line into your domicile. it may be that, for some reason, distinctive provider lines have been put in place. possibly the builders theory the residences could be subdivided into smaller contraptions later, each and each wanting a seperate meter. After passing via the meter the electrical powered energy could flow to a breaker field at your residence to be distrubited onto diverse circuts in you domicile. So, you're able to have the two distinctive breaker panels on your unit or 3 cables (one from each and each meter) getting right into a unmarried breaker field in case you do certainly have 3 meters.
2016-12-30 07:07:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We don't have a heater, but we have a light in every room. "Daddy, I'm cold!". "Shut up and find your own bulb!". Sorry, answer is no. The bulb would have to be within a couple of feet of the thermostat to make it cut off and OFF is the only way to save power.
2006-12-11 14:44:41 · answer #5 · answered by johnnydean86 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depending how hot you want your house light bulbs do put off heat but depending on how much heat to how many bulbs you will need you still have to pay for power set your t-stat to a comfortable setting and leave on it is cheaper then turning it off and on.if you use incadescent bulbs they waste energy 1 15watt compact flo bulb is equivelent to a 60 watt regular bulb
2006-12-11 14:10:08 · answer #6 · answered by Fergie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO, More you have on the higher the power bill, Especially around Christmas power bills are higher with all cooking and lights
2006-12-11 13:37:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
ummmm not hardly. But I tell you what. Turn on your heater and all of your lights for thirty days and check your electric bill.
2006-12-11 13:18:58 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋