Do you ever use candles to save on electricity costs?

Discussion in Gas & Electricity started by Dora M • Jul 13, 2014.

  1. Dora M

    Dora MWell-Known Member

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    Recently I have moved to a new country where I am sharing an apartment with a friend. She tells me that the electricity costs are very high here, and that it is a good idea to use candles in the evenings when we don't need the light for reading or any other purposes. In this month alone we have managed to save almost 30% of the what we normally pay. I find it easy and practical.
    Have you ever tried it?
     
  2. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    I've thought about it, but I decided that it's not worth it because I read a news story about 5 siblings that burned to death because their mom lit candles after their electricity got cut off.
    Candles are nice for ambient lighting but too dangerous for everyday use.
     
  3. thymeless

    thymelessNew Member

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    I do like to minimize my electricity fees, but not by grotesque and old-fashioned ways...
     
  4. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    Electricity isn't that expensive in my area but candles are. Or at least they are if you have to light a number of candles to get the amount of light one energy-saver bulb could provide. But I never use my lights much because I go to bed early and get up late when the sun is already up. The need to save cash on electric lighting [for that reason] has never arisen.
     
  5. oldwriter

    oldwriterMember

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    I never considered this option to be honest. It does not seem viable. It would be better to use CFLs, also LEDs.

    The disadvantages of using candles for this purpose -I think- outweigh the possibly perceived virtues. Candles in my opinion would only be relegated for blackouts.

    Good for saving creativity on your part, I must say.
     
  6. TuRon Davis

    TuRon DavisActive Member

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    I can honestly say that I have never used candles unless I didn't have electricity. The only time I would consider using candles is for a romantic occasion. I guess I really have been spoiled with the luxury to turn on the lights.
     
  7. lindbergh

    lindberghWell-Known Member

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    I only use candles for emergency purposes - when there's a blackout at night. I have never thought of using them as an alternative light in order to save on electricity costs. Now that you have mentioned it, I don't think I'll use the method too. I'm so used to using a light bulb at night. Using candles have a lot of disadvantages. If you use only one candle, it would only illuminate a small portion of the room. You might bump into things and have minor accidents. If you use a lot of candles, you'd probably reach the same cost as using a light bulb. :D
     
  8. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    Not at all. I don't like using candles unless I absolutely have to or if I only need to use a few that I can easily manage because I don't want to risk causing a fire. I think it's still much more practical to just use the electrical lights because if you consider how much you are risking if the house suddenly burned down then I think it's worth the extra expense.
     
  9. Jessi

    Jessi<a href="http://www.quirkycookery.com">QuirkyCooke

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    Nope.

    Having a single light on in the room I'm in doesn't cost that much electricity, especially if I'm using efficient lightbulbs and making sure other lights are turned off when I'm not using them. Candles wouldn't really do much for me, I don't think.
     
  10. Kek

    KekActive Member

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    I've never tried lighting candles as a way to save electricity. My family spends the evenings either in front of the computer screens or on the sofa watching the TV, so we don't have any lights turned on. We make sure to turn off the lights if we don't use them. We still burn a lot of candles, though, because my mom is obsessed with them! She has at least one candle burning in the house at all times, even during the day! I don't like having the nanoparticles in the air, since they are bad for your health, but I don't want to take the enjoyment away from her.
     
  11. johnnear

    johnnearActive Member

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    Well yeah sometimes, but it's kind of risky since an accidentally burning of your house can cost you more than the electricity bill. I would also do that though, but I think for the most part I would just rather lessen my use of lights rather than completely turning them off.
     
  12. Mayvin

    MayvinActive Member

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    Its good that your saving money on your electricity bill but using candles at night would be something that would concern me only because I'd be afraid that I'd fall asleep and the house would burn down or something. I could see myself using the candles that are used with a light to avoid any unexpected burnings.
     
  13. Bright7

    Bright7Active Member

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    No, I don't think I would ever consider using candles to save on electricity. My electricity provider offers a plan where every year they evaluate my electricity consumption for the previous year, and based on that my electric bill is at a set amount the following year. Some years it increases and some years it decreases, but I always know exactly what it is going to be every month so that I can budget for it. I would be terrified of starting a fire by using candles.
     
  14. PhilA

    PhilAMember

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    I have never used candles to save on electricity costs, I use them as well as electric if anything so I end up paying more hehe.

    Over the past couple of years myself and my wife have enjoyed trying out a range of different scented candles, I love the aroma they let off. There is a really big market for candles right now and some new candle sellers have popped up in my city. I was wondering if anyone has actually made their own candles? This would be a great way to save a few pennies, and even make some.
     
  15. deathbyprayer

    deathbyprayerActive Member

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    Candles? Like the whole night? Oh no. I think it's kind of dangerous to leave candles unattended the whole night. If I were you, just leave one light turned on at least, or just turn them off completely whenever you're out of the room. Or you can just unplug appliances that are not in use.
     
  16. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    No, I haven't tried such a thing yet, but when the situation calls for a drastic cost-cutting move, then I will definitely try using candles rather than using electricity to illuminate the room. So far our electricity bill is quite manageable, since we use those power-saving bulbs.
     
  17. daimashin

    daimashinActive Member

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    Nope, I never used candles to replace lamps in the house. The truth is, fluorescent lamps don't consume a lot of electricity. The wattage is quite low so unless I turn them off completely, just not using for a certain time everyday won't save much. The money used to buy the candles could easily cover the cost of electricity used to power the lights. Not to mention, the fire I use to light up candles also needs money like lighters, and matches etc.
     
  18. JoshPosh

    JoshPoshBanned

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    You can use candles for reading and night lights. If you have enough of them, they can heat the room that you are in. Just seal up the room and fire up the candles.
     
  19. Hedonologist

    HedonologistActive Member

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    You can also use them to save on heating costs. I find that that is a much more pressing issue financially. The cost of lighting a room is insignificant, but heating it is much more, so I have used a candle heater before, and did save quite a bit of money. Now I don't do it but it could be useful for those who are really hard up.
     
  20. Thejamal

    ThejamalActive Member

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    Just save money by using LED bulbs or other energy saving bulbs. I'm all for saving as much money as the next person, but not to a point where I'm living 100 years in the past without lighting in the house. Lighting really shouldn't be most of your energy bill anyway, so I'm curious how you managed to save 30% just by turning off lights at night and using candles. Most of the time, your energy bill relates to your heater/cooler unit and other big appliance in the house