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For decades, we’ve been guilt-tripped into turning off the lights any time we leave a room — but it turns out that “money-saving” habit might be a total bust. The U.S. Department of Energy has shed light on the old household rule, revealing that constantly flicking the switch may not save you much cash. It could even be shortening the life of your lightbulbs. Perhaps leaving the lights on isn’t such a dim idea. Whether or not it’s worth turning lights off depends a lot more on what kind of bulbs you’re using than on how long you’re out of the room. If you’re still clinging to old-school incandescent or halogen bulbs — the kind that burn hot and burn out fast — go ahead and shut those suckers off when not in use, the DOE advises. They’re inefficient energy vampires and waste most of their juice generating heat, not light. The DOE recommends leaving them on if you’re stepping out of the room for fewer than 15 minutes. Any longer, and it’s probably worth flipping them off. LEDs, though, are the real MVPs of the lighting world.
Link: https://nypost.com/
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