 |
|
BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters use motion sensing, high-efficiency lights for their most-used fixtures, the energy we'll save in a year could power a home for 750 years.
COCKTAIL FACT
The inventors of the Clapper also created the Ove Glove and the Chia Pet.
| SAVE TO MY BITES |  |
FORWARD TO A FRIEND:
RATE THIS TIP:
How useful is this tip to you?
(5 is the highest)
home › tip library › Motion Sensor Lights
Is clapping the easiest way to turn on the lights?
The Bite
Nope. Motion-sensing lights make even the Clapper look like hard work. Put your hands together for these superefficient switch-flippers, which save major energy, hassles, and cash.The Benefits
- Lower energy use. Motion sensors use 50% less energy per light, since many of us tend to leave lights on even when we're not using them.
- Utility bill savings. The average homeowner spends $100 each year on lighting. Combined with high-efficiency bulbs, installing motion sensors on your most-used fixtures will cut this number in half.
- Convenience. No more fumbling around in the dark for light switches.
- Safety. Outdoor motion sensors deter creeps from hanging around your place.
Personally Speaking
Toshio was about to recommend that his parents install outdoor motion-sensing lights at home, but his teenage sister begged him not to since it would make sneaking in and out of the house impossible.Wanna Try?
- Isole Plug Load Control - great for under your desk; plug lamps and appliances into this surge-protecting, motion-sensing power strip ($90).
- First Alert Sensor Socket - plugs into your regular light sockets ($40).
- Heath Zenith Security Light - basic outdoor security light detects motion up to 70 ft ($20).
- Maxxima Occupancy Sensor Light - great for bathrooms, with three superefficient LED bulbs ($16).
Jul 10,2007
Sponsor
All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
To Catch a Thief
There is something cool and futuristic and Star Trek-y about motion-sensing lights. I'm also a big fan of motion-sensing faucets and toilets (when they work). But motion-sensing technology isn't always the sharpest pseudo-AI in the techie toolbox-or used to the greenest end. Take motion-sensing (deep breath) car alarms, used on convertibles and Jeeps to detect unwanted entry inside a vehicle and some other vehicles to detect motion outside. There are tons of reasons to hate car alarms (click here to indulge in a thorough rant). But since they're still legal, I thought it might be worth finding one more.
If there are any mathematically minded mechanics out there reading this, please feel free to check my (very approximate) math. If an average car alarm uses 36 Watts for every hour it goes off, then for every 8,371 car alarms that sound off for an hour, we could power one American home for one day.
OK, OK, so the eco-impact isn't mind-boggling. But car alarms do take a toll on energy-not to mention that batteries can be difficult to recycle. Here's to car owners installing an ignition-kill switch instead of a noise-polluting car alarm (if you must), so that all of us urban-dwellers can sleep soundly...without the sound.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to steal a nap...
If there are any mathematically minded mechanics out there reading this, please feel free to check my (very approximate) math. If an average car alarm uses 36 Watts for every hour it goes off, then for every 8,371 car alarms that sound off for an hour, we could power one American home for one day.
OK, OK, so the eco-impact isn't mind-boggling. But car alarms do take a toll on energy-not to mention that batteries can be difficult to recycle. Here's to car owners installing an ignition-kill switch instead of a noise-polluting car alarm (if you must), so that all of us urban-dwellers can sleep soundly...without the sound.
-Jenifer Morgan...off to steal a nap...
Biter Comments...
These make more practical sense in rooms where you're not spending a lot of time. I wouldn't use them in the general living areas but have them in the garage, in outdoor security (which are also solar powered), in bathrooms and some of the lights in the kitchen. I am thinking of installing them on one set of stair lights but since we have cats (4 of them), I am wondering if that will be effective or just annoying.
I would think motion lights have their place, for example outdoors (porch light). But it wouldn't save in every situation. For example, I only turn on my bedroom light if I enter the room when it's dark outside, and I have a habit of turning it off as i leave. If I installed motion sensors, I assume I'd only turn it on to go on automatically at night, but it would still stay on an extra 30 seconds or whatever after I left the room if I neglected to turn it off.
hello :) i was just hoping ...have any of you knowledgeable folk come across any device that could turn off my tv if there's been no activity around the tv (or maybe on it, like changing channels, fast forwarding etc.)? or should i try plugging the tv into a motion sensor and hopefully when i sit by it and shift in my seat and stuff it would do the trick? i can't abide the thought that sometimes i step away from the tv for what i think will be a second - then i get sidetracked and, it's on the whole time. ack!
Once again I am stuck on the sticker shock. $90 for a plug strip? I have been thinking about turning off all those ambient juice suckers which hum and blink all the time in my house. The problem is that appliances were designed to plug in and stay that way, out of sight and OUT OF REACH. Yes they are plugged in to plug strips, most of them, but way behind the furniture that holds them.
I am reminded of the similar situation with accessory outlets in the back of TVs until the newer ones put the plugs on the front for all those game consoles. Life got better. Something similar may need to happen to make facilitating the little lights going out feasible. Sodden thought.
I subscribe to the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Regulate" mantra, but there is only so much that can be accomplished within the framework of the American lifestyle. And only so many hours in the day to do it.
Thoughts?
Dede,
While there might be a device(s) that you could plug your TV into to disconnect it from the power, unless your tv is so old it only has knobs and no buttons, its not adviceable. Most home entertainment electronics, (TVs, VCRs, DVDs, Home Theater units, Cable boxes, Satellite boxes, etc), these days don't power down completely. They go into power saving "standby" modes. This standby mode is how most electronics remember its settings.
For example, when my cable box loses total power from an outage, its menu system and its internal tv guide grid has to be uploaded from the cable company once the power comes back on. As another example, I have an big old reliable RCA color tv built in the '80s. Very advanced in its day, after an power outage, it loses the current time setting, all the programmed channels, and the last channel it was tuned to. So when I go to turn this tv on after an outage, it reverts to channel 2, but the cable signal is comes through channel 91. GOOD GRIEF!
I guess my point being is that most TV's and other electronics need continuous power, be a small trickle, to provide the modern conveniences we want.
Now if you happen to still have the original remote and manual that came with the tv, you might look for a "timer" feature. One of my TVs calls it an Off Timer, while another TV calls it a Sleep Timer. The TV I use most will let me set it to turn off between 10 and 180 minutes.
Hi, love the bytes! I grew up with the outdoor motion lights on our house. Anytime a night crawler made its way across the deck the lights came on. Seems like more of a waste of electricity to me (in our situation)! Not to mention the fear invoked in my youthful heart as I tried to go to bed at night...maybe it really is Freddy Krueger out there!!! And I second the comment about having to be moving around to keep the lights on. But our switch made it possible to deactivate the motion detector (e.g. keep the lights on) which can be necessary. Good idea, but consider logistics before you install!
That bathroom sensor light is ugly & not something that I would want in my bathroom. I much prefer the light strip that I have & I have no problem turning off the light as soon as I am done. Outdoor sensor lights do make sense for security.
You can go to Lowe's, Home Depot or the home center of your choice and buy motion sensors that replace the wall switches in your home. The local Home Depot sells them for about $15.00 a piece and they take about 5 minutes to install with a screwdriver. With a decorative wallplate and/or some paint, you can make them match any decor.
I've been using motion sensor lighting for night lights and security lights for about 10 years. I built my own set up with a motion sensor made to replace a wall switch, installed it in a box I made and wired it up to a receptacle,also in the box.Anything plugged into the receptacle comes on with motion, like led Christmas lights,etc.
It is weird that you are saying that by not having the annoying car alarms that would save money. I don't see how that is possible, since the alternator is used to create energy when the engine is running. The alternator captures the energy expended in the motion of the engine turning and powers the battery for all of the electrical devices in the car. Could someone please explain that to me. It is the same idea as the hybrid cars, when the brakes are applied the batteries are charged.....
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: caroline | July 10, 2007 at 07:57 AM