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Our Info: Newsletters > EMAIL Monday, April 1, 2008 Good Lighting helps to deter Crime

EMAIL Monday, April 1, 2008 Good Lighting helps to deter Crime

Apr 02, 2008

Crime and Lighting

It has always often been said that good lighting can help deter or prevent certain types of crime and vandalism.

An argument I often hear is that "Leaving on my outside light will run up my electric bill!".? Well, electric is not free, but it could be some of the cheapest security you could ever buy.?

I replaced the light switch for my outside lights with a digital timer from Wal Mart - $19.99 - it has a little watch battery so it never forgets the time if there is a power outage, I never have to worry about forgetting to turn off the light - forgetting to turn it on, it's always on or off when it's suppose to be, even when I am not home, and it even automatically adjusts + or - about 1 minute for sun rise and sun set every day.? Or you could use a light sensor.

Let me break it down.? You can check your electric bill, electricity costs 0.09095 cents per kWh (kilowatt hour).? kWh is how the electric company measures your electric usage - it's what the electric meter shows.? When you factor in all those Orlando and Florida taxes you are really paying about 11.1 cents per kWh.

Lets assume you leave your outside light on for 12 hours a night (averaged out through the entire year of 2008 Orlando, FL will receive 12 hours & 9 minutes of sunlight a day, Farmers Almanac).

If you have a really bright 50 watt light bulb it will cost you 6.6 cents a day, $1.99 a month, $24.09 a year.? Most people probably don't have 50 watt bulbs in their outside lights.

45 watt light bulb would cost you $21.68 a year

30 watt bulb would cost you $14.45 a year

Now, lets make it interesting!? We are all trying to be more "green" now a days, lets assume we are using a compact florescent bulb in our outside light.

An 11 watt bulb (equal to the amount of light produced by a 50 incandescent watt bulb) would cost you $5.30 a year (but still that's a pretty bright light bulb!).

More realistically you would probably have something like a 5 watt compact florescent bulb, equaling a 30 watt incandescent bulb, that would cost you $2.41 for an entire year (tax included!).

If you want to figure up your own bulb, factor in about 0.4818 cents per watt for an entire year.? 11 watts X .4818 cents = $5.30 a year. (again, that's assuming you leave the light on for 12 hours a day)

That is some of the cheapest security anyone could possibly afford!