turning off lights

I turn lights off constantly, but I am sure it is because I was raised that way, too. We were always getting hollered at if we left a room and left the lights or TV on. Sometimes I felt like I was walking around in the dark because if we were all in one room no other lights were on. Walking to the bathroom without stepping on one of our black dogs could get tricky. My husband, however, seldom turns lights off. His parents seem to turn them out when they leave a room so I don't think it's genetic unless it skips generations. lol

I can't stand lights being left on. Actually, my parents are always telling a story about when I was a child- maybe two- I walked into the living room where they were sitting watching television, went up to a lamp, flicked it off, and said, "ACTUALLY, we don't need this on." I would suggest the best way to teach your kids to turn the lights off is to educate them; that's how I learned. I read the book 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save The Earth and it had something in there about turning lights off and about energy waste. As for your husband, tell him to try it out for a month, to see how the energy bill changes! My dad is constantly annoying me with this excuse: "Don't worry, I can pay for it." Well, we shouldn't have to pay for it at all. Maybe get the whole family together, and try it out for a month, to see the difference in the cost of the energy bill. Then if it's rather a large one (over $20, which it sounds like it might be) use the money to go to something together. It takes 3 weeks to change a habit! Remember, it's not just about turning off lights. Turn off stereos, TVs, and computers when not in a room. Open the windows instead of turning on the air conditioner and put on a sweater instead of turning up the heat. I'm not sure if this is accurate, but I think it takes less energy to microwave water than to boil it. Just my humble suggestion!

My father was the same way about yelling at us and I must have inherited it from him. My husband walks into the house from work and from the front door until he walks thru the entire house he is turning on lights and leaving them on - even on a bright sunny day! During the evening, he has to have not only his table lamp next to his chair, but the floor lamp behind him and the lamp on top of the entertainment center on just to watch TV. What happened to energy watches? Are people just too lazy period to think about the environment anymore?

I don't have any kids, but when I was growing up I was always told to turn the lights off when I left the room. I always tried to follow that rule and since I know how much the power bill is now I try to keep the bill down by turning off lights all the time. I don't know if you can inherit such a trait. I know that it is a taught trait. If your husband was raised not to turn off the lights then that was never set in his brain when he was growing up. I didn't have it as bad as you did as far as your light being on in your room and going to the kitchen. Good luck with the light situation in your house.

I had the opposite problem. My younger son kept turning off the lights when he just left his room or the bathroom and was going into it a few seconds later. If one is going back in the room, leave the light on. If one is going to be out of the room, turn off the light, but do not ever ever turn it off as soon as he leaves when he will return. That wastes electricity and the light switch. You have to weigh things, do you want to waste electricity or do you want to snub your toe or hit your head on something or step on broken glass that you cannot see because the light switch is not at the door?

Not really no, there's a few lights in this house that are left on all night. Mainly the bathroom light, so you can find it when you're half asleep. One in the kitchen that's always on but I'm not quite sure why. It's flourescent though so it's easier on the energy bill, I think. Either way the bill is never that high.

Yes i also like to conserve energy and electricity as much as possible. I only put lights on in the room that i am using and switch of other lights in other rooms. Then i try to limit my TV viewing, use of other electrical applianes when not necessary. Besides i also use tubelights instead of bulbs to conserve energy and electricity.

I am constantly shutting off lights or at least it seems so. In the mornings after my neice leaves for school I have to go in and shut off her over head light, the light in her closet and sometimes the one in the bathroom. I'm always turning off other lights during the day and at night. Not to mention the tv. No one is watching it but no one turns it off even if it's been on for hours. Drives me nuts.

I have the same problem with my family and I just don't get it. I'm a stay at home mom so during the day the lights stay off, even during the winter, when no one else is home, the heat gets turned down slightly. I even try not to do laundry too late in the day (I've heard that you shouldn't do laundry in the early evening due to the surge of electricity, when everyone gets home and cook, does laundry and has more lights on). My husband has to turn every light on when he enters a room (and doesn't always turn it off when he leaves)when he goes up or down the stairs, he turns the light on when he starts the short trip and turns it off at the other. It drives him nuts at night when I start turning lights off, I'm just trying to get everyone ready to go to sleep, I've heard that you need to let your body and mind know it's time to sleep, and that's one way to do that. I also always find the light on in the laundry room when I go out there, no matter what time of the day it is. His mother lives with us, and I can see her place from my kitchen window and it is so bright in there at night, no wonder she always tells us she couldn't sleep at all...she must think it's always daytime. I always tease my husband and kids of being afraid of the daylight (when they turn on the lights, even when a room is lit during the day). Thanks for the topic, it feels good to vent about this.

I love it. It will be the middle of the day, bright as can be and the dining light,bedroom (both),bathroom,hallway,and kitchen light will ALWAYS be on. I turn them off too, but you can't be there every second !! My kids will be watching TV in the living room, take off to the bedroom, turn the TV on in there, so now all 3 TV's are going and lights in every room. I was thinking about making all the lights motion, like the ones you get for outside, they only come on with motion then turn themselves off !!! LOL

Yes I have the same problem I have to go around turning off lights after everybody and also I try to remind them but it does not work all the time.

My kids did this when younger too. This is how I solved it. I warned them if you leave your bedroom lights on one more time when you leave for school you wont have light bulbs when you get home. I stuck to my word and took the bulbs.I gave them back a week later and low and behold they knew how to work those little switches afterall.

OOOOO, one of my pet peeves. I HATE waste and I esp hate when the lights r left on for no reason. I go into an absolute tizzy and give my husband a lecture on conservation and our expenses and oooooo, it's making me upset just thnking about it!!! And let's not talk about wasting water eitehr!!!

I used to be one of those kids that left everything on. It drove my parents crazy! Now I live with my sister and I pay the power bill so I finally understand. Oh, and my sister is terrible! She leaves everything on and drives me crazy. I guess its just pay back!

I am glad I am not the only one who lives with energy hogs...lol. We don't pay for the hydro...as it is included in our rent but if we did...we would be bankrupt by now. My boyfriend is especially bad. He has every light in the house on. He even turns on the lights in the daytime...which makes no sense to me...there is still light...outside...? My son is not so bad...but he leaves on other things...like his heater...eeekk.... I am constantly turning off the lights and heater and I tell them...but they just keep doing the same thing.....

I do this too and it's a good thing that my 2 year old son does this too. Well he's too little to reach the light switch yet he does get the attention of any adult to pick him up and then he switch off the lights. My husband often forgets to turn off the lights in the bathroom, and when he does I yell at him slightly, then our son will mimic me then we'll all laugh. haha.

It is the same way in my house.I end up turning the lights of myself....because no matter how many times I remind them.....the lights are still left on.The one that bothers me the most is when lights are being left on all night.I mean you are sleeping....what do you need the lights for? I have bought nightlights.....but that makes no difference.You can tell them in any way you want....it just goes in one ear and right out the other...so I don't even waist my breath anymore.

yes rickrocks we are on same boat, i have 3 teen age children and they often forgot to switch the lights off, turn the t.v. or radio when they are not listening/watching, worse sometimes they left the electric fan running without anyone inside the room. i alwasy remind them to turn off lights or sometimes ask them"why they kept the lights on during night, i ask are you afraid of ghost they said no but they always forgot so now before i go to sleep i check every room. same with my husband he doesnt cooperate with me in keeping electricity low. i often yell at my husband becuase he is not earning that much to support our needs and he is wasting electricity as if he is a stockholder of electric company.

yes.. i do encounter such problems last time.. when my little sister actually forgotten to turn off the lights whenever she goES!!.. arGh.. it's very irritating.. you know.. even you keep yelling and shouting at them.. it won't work.. i think it's just some kind of bad habit.. which you must make them notice of it.. and control themselves.. it's not easy to change a habit.. but you must do something or your electric bills will fly up.. why don't you do like this.. erm..whenever they forgotten to turn off the light.. u give them little punishment.. reducing their pocket money? it's okay actually because i think reducing their pocket money to pay back the bills!.. then they will start to notice how important is it to off the lights :)

My son is bad, too. Although, he seems to be getting the hang of it now, and turning off lights that he is not using. We got the new energy saving lightbulbs and he asked why we did this. We told him that we were going to try them because we went through so many regular light bulbs because he leaves them on all the time when he's not even in that room anymore. This way, with the new light bulbs we would be saving money that we could stash back and use for a vacation. So, now he turns off the lights because whatever money saved on the electric bill goes into a kitty and he gets to pick where we go on vacation. tdbrower1969