Solar Bikini to save from expanded energy bill after DST

This weekend the clocks “spring forward.” The Wall Street Journal has brought to light a study based in Indiana that challenges the very idea of DST. Switching to DST costs Indiana households an additional $8.6 million in electricity.

I accidentally left my lights on last night after DST yesterday. It was still dark out when I awoke, and I could see the glow through the window. I went outside to turn them off right away, and since we only have a medium size tree wrapped in lights, I don’t think it used enough energy to make a noticeable difference in our utility bill.

But one thing I did notice was that several other houses on our block still had their lights on. When I thought about it, I realized those same lights were on every morning for the past couple weeks. They have a larger light display than we do, and I am sure they will have a noticeable change in their electric bill next month.

That got me thinking… Why do people leave the lights on throughout the night? It doesn’t make sense to me to leave them on after a certain point because almost everyone is asleep and there will not be anyone around to enjoy them. I think leaving the lights on all night needlessly uses a large amount of electricity and costs people a lot of money.

I don’t think the electric companies mind, but is it the responsible thing to do?

I normally turn our lights off right before bed. Do you leave your lights on at night? If so, why?