Porch Light Timer

Porch light with CFL

Front porch lights are convenient. What better to light the way for evening-time visitors, or for yourself upon returning home after the sun has set?  And the big one--front porch lights are great for security!  Having a light on says "Hey, I'm home!  Don't come creeping around this house!"

Unfortunately, I have lost count of the number of times I have walked out the front door in the morning, only to be greeted by the glow of the porch light I forgot to turn off the night before--and feel the cringe of wasted energy.

Growing up, I seem to remember that--on occasion--we would leave a light on when we left the house and weren't expecting to be back until after nightfall.  Or worse--when we left for for vacation, just to ensure a bulb would be glowing at night. At best, we may have dug a cruddy old mechanical timer out of the Christmas lights box.  The timer really is a good idea, though--the lights are on long enough to provide that hey-i'm-at-home message, without burning the bulbs longer than needed, preventing electricity waste.

The faithful timer-switch

So...why not employ the timer tactic year-round?  Enjoy the convenience and security of a front-porch light without the energy consumption of accidental overuse.  And bonus:  When you go to leave for vacation, your security lighting scheme is already in place!

Good news--programmable timers have come a long way since that old mechanical marvel we used for the Christmas lights.  I replaced my porch light switch with a programmable timer model.  The new switch is a direct replacement for the original paddle switch, and requires only a basic knowledge of home electrical work to accomplish (turn off the circuit breaker first!)

When you're programming the timer, consider using "unusual" start and end times.  Rather than turning on at 7:30PM and off again at 10:00PM, have the switch turn on--for example--7:23PM and off again at 10:08PM.  Using times that don't fall on the hour or half-hour will seem more organic to an observer.

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Happy Greening,
Andy