Home Energy Savings For Energy Watchers

For this project report I think I need to set the stage first.

We have a walk-in pantry next to the kitchen. It is very convenient and may in fact be the most-visited place in the entire house. As such, the overhead light gets left on — a lot.

My wife, being the energy-saving dynamo that she is, turns the pantry light off — a lot.

And I, being the considerate husband that I am, installed a motion sensor lightswitch in the pantry to automatically turn the light on whenever anyone opens the door, and turn it off again after they leave:


Here's a couple of tips for the DIY people out there:

1. Don't bother with a CFL bulb in pantries or closets or anywhere else where the lights get turned on and off frequently — turning CFLs on and off a lot makes them wear out.


2. Get the more expensive motion sensor lightswitch. These will detect motion within a 180° arc and can also be adjusted to turn the light off after a designated period of time.