Does a light bulb that is burned out consume more electricity when the switch is on than off?

Question

I have a lightbulb in my restroom that is burned out. Does it burn more electricity when the switch is on than it does when it is off?

Answer 1

It consumes as much ether way

Answer 2

No. you can't consume electricity no matter what you do with the switch.

Light bulb is now open circuit, in series with your switch. Without replacing it, no current can go through. You use no power with the switch on and no power with the switch off.

Filament inside light bulb runs quite hot when operational (around 4600 F, because the hotter the more efficient for a light bulb). If due to shaking or other imperfection it heats up too much, filament will melt. It doesn't actually "burn" unless the bulb is cracked (because there is no oxygen inside the bulb). Either way, dead bulb is open circuit.

Note: Mini-Christmas lights that contain shunt wires and LED lights in Christmas lights behave differently, and often become short circuit when dead, which would change everything.

Answer 3

A burned out lightbulb does not consume any electricity at all. Presuming we are talking about an incandescent bulb, the filament in the bulb is broken (which is why the light is out), and there is no circuit, so it uses no electricity at all. If the switch is off, there are simply TWO breaks in the circuit, and that doesn't change things.

Answer 4

When the switch is off. Nearly any real object, even a burned-out incandescent bulb, has some resistive leakage. You will have less current flow when you put the leakage resistance of the turned-off switch in series with the leakage resistance of the burned-out light bulb. But it's miniscule either way.

A fluorescent tube which has aged enough that it can no longer strike a plasma will still consume electricity trying to start.

Answer 5

1. Electricity doesn't "burn".
2. Since the light bulb is burnt out, it's an open circuit, so it's as if nothing was plugged in at all. It will not draw any current or consume any power whether you turn it on or off.

Answer 6

Filament lamps take more power when the filament is heating up but this is only for a tiny fraction of a second. Some fluorescent lamps have a starting circuit (which gives them a voltage kick to get them going). They will consume more for a few seconds after switching on. These are the sources of your daughter's ideas. The bottom line is - if any light has been switched off for just a few seconds you are definitely into saving compared to keeping it on.

Answer 7

In order for this to consume electricity, it needs to be a closed circuit. Since the little wire inside your bulb has burned, the circuit is open, hence it doesn't use electricity.

Answer 8

it burns NO electricity despite the switch position.

Answer 9

it consumes equal amounts of energy because it is still plugged in

Answer 10

no, when it burns, it bocomes an open circuit.