http://amasci.com/elect/elefaq.html

I used to get on my mother about for some of her other habits of electrical use are truly terrible but on this one,  I was wrong.

But I still think the electic company is the devil.

Do light bulbs consume huge energy when first turned on?

There is a myth going around which says we should leave our lights on all the time. The myth says that, if we turn on our lights, this will consume a huge amount of energy. But it's a myth.

You can prove this yourself. Go outside and find the electric utility meter. See the little wheel which slowly turns? OK, now go indoors and turn off everything in your house (including the furnace and water heater.) Verify that the little wheel has stopped turning.

Next, turn on a single 100-watt light bulb in your house, then use a wristwatch to time how long it takes the wheel to rotate once. This gives you a rough idea of how much energy that light bulb is using every minute. Now turn off the lamp.

Finally, have someone stand next to the lamp while you stay outside and watch the electric meter. When you yell "start," have them turn on the lamp, and at the same time start timing the little wheel. See how long it takes the wheel to make one complete revolution when the bulb has been suddenly turned on. (You timed the wheel earlier when the bulb was already running normally, not when it was suddenly turned on.)

You'll find that it doesn't matter much whether you turn on a bulb and run it for a minute or so... or whether you simply leave the bulb on for the same minute or so. The wheel in the energy meter gives about the same mesurement in both instances, proving that light bulbs DON'T consume vast amounts of energy when first turned on.

ON THE OTHER HAND, incandescent light bulbs tend to burn out when first turned on. The sudden heat will stretched their filament, and if the filament is about to break, turning it on can break it. So, if you leave the lights on all the time, you'll pay for wasted energy... but if you turn them on and off all the time, you'll shorten their lives. Which is more expensive? (If you want to get around this problem, then install "light dimmers" in place of your wall switches. This avoids the sudden stress of turn-on, and lets your incandescent bulbs last longer.)

Ahem...

[EE hat on]
Lightbulb on = using energy.

Off = not using energy.

Keeping a lightbulb on = continuously using energy.

Turning on an incadescent bulb doesn't consume "huge amount" of energy.

Turning on a fluorescent does require one quick "discharge", which is higher than the continuous current, but not significant given today's efficient ballasts.

The wheel keeps turning because you have higher power appliances (like your fridge and water heater) running continuously that makes the contribution of your lightbulb minimal in comparison.  The meter's wheel turn very slowly and depending on the spec it may only make on turn for many thousands of Joules (where a lightbulb would be insignificant in relative terms).

Turn your lights off if you don't need it.

[EE hat off]

screw electric... gas is the "devil"

The gas company screwed up my bill and sent me a $16 gas bill. Cant be right.

I am expecting a $300 one next month.