Light bulbs or Candles... Which is more cost effective?
Asked by
aaronb (
21
)
October 30th, 2008
Recently I have got into candles in a big way… Not sure why. The other day I was buying a big candle that lasts 40 hours and costs £1.50 and I realised that I don’t know how much it costs per minute or hour to have my light on? Is it more cost effective to use candles than it is light bulbs? I live in the UK and my electricity is supplied by British Gas so obviously this will be an important factor to take into account but overall is there a clear winner on cost?
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9 Answers
well, if your house burns down, then you’re out a bunch more with candles. and if the wax gets all over furniture, then you gotta fix that.
i suppose if you do it right, then you could save a lot of money with candles.
Without doing the math, I think an energy efficient bulb is not only cheaper in the long run, but more effective at lighting your house. Which, I assume is your ultimate goal.
This ain’t 1800.
Yeah, I’m not doing the math either, but you can check this page
1 Foot-candle is the amount of light that is measured from a candle from one foot away.
1 Lumen is the same as 1 Foot-candle.
watts / lumens / hours / brand
15 / 105 / 3000 / Philips
15 / 109 / 2500 / Sylvania soft white
Candles will end up costing you in the long run when you burn the house down.
I suspect compact fluorescent bulbs are the most economical. I was going to mention the safety issue of candles too – I was going say it more diplomatically then the others, though.
@asmonet – sorry… didn’t realize you had suggested the same thing!
Your optometry bill will be more than your electricity bill.
In my opinion, candles and natural light win out.
But then, I’m probably just funny that way.
They smell good and I love the soft light that comes with them.
But…if you’re reading or something you should probably use a low-energy light bulb.
I would agree that CFLs are the most cost effective. They save power, last a long time, don’t risk burning your lovely home and only add about as much to your carbon footprint as burning the zillion candles you would need to read by.
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