While it may seem like a trivial task, people often forget to turn the lights off before leaving a room or the house.
And if you are not returning home for a long time, you should not have to constantly worry about the light left on back home. Find out how long the light bulb can stay on.
In this article, we will walk you through the durations for which different kinds of lights can stay on. So without further ado, let’s carry on and find out how long can light bulb stay on.
How long can a light bulb stay on?
Depending on the type of light that you’re talking about, it is safe to keep lights on for something between a couple of days to a couple of weeks. Well-manufactured lights, which generate very little heat, can safely stay on for as long as two weeks without posing any threats.
If you’re in a hurry and have forgotten to turn the lights in your house off, no need to worry. They are safe to keep on for a while. But how long can a light bulb stay on? In the following section we will address this question for different types of lights:
LED:
LED light is one of the safest choices for your home. They can be left on for several days on end without any risk. It is also quite cost-effective, so you will not be charged too much for accidentally leaving the light on.
The average lifespan of a regular LED light is between 35,000 to 50,000 hours. You can leave them on for the entire day without any worry. Rest assured that they will not create any harmful spark that can lead to an accident.
Incandescent:
An incandescent light should not be left on for too long. You should carefully remember to switch it off when you’re not using this light. That said, these lights are quite long-lasting themselves.
If you use them carefully, incandescent lights have an average lifespan ranging between 750 to 2000 hours.
Fluorescent:
Fluorescent lights have an average lifespan ranging between 24000 to 36000 hours. They are very long-lasting. But you should be careful in your use of fluorescent lights as they are not very energy efficient.
So you should not leave a fluorescent light on for too long. Switch it off when you will not be around for more than 30 minutes. This will help you save a good deal of money and energy.
Halogen:
Halogen lights are not very long-lasting. They are rather short-lived as they have an average lifespan ranging between 2000 to 4000 hours.
So you should be very careful when dealing with halogen lights because it will determine how many hours they can serve you in reality.
Make sure to turn these lights off when you’re not using them. They cannot stay on for too long.
CFL:
CFL lights are rather long-lasting lights. They have a lifespan ranging between 35000 to 50000 hours.
But you should be careful with CFL lights since they have a high rate of energy consumption. Make sure to turn these lights off if you’re leaving the room for more than 20 minutes.
Is it safe to leave a bulb on all night? Can you leave lights on 24/7?
It is quite a common practice to leave lights on for the entire night. But the question still remains, whether it is safe to leave a bulb on all night.
Whether it is safe for a light bulb to stay on the whole night will depend on the type of light that we are talking about. If you’re using a low wattage LED bulb, then it is not only safe but also very cost-efficient to keep them on the whole night.
These lights do not generate a high amount of heat when you keep them on. So they will not pose any lethal threat. The maximum concern in such a case would be that there will be a slightly higher level of electricity consumption and electric bill in turn.
You can even leave these lights on 24/7. There will not be any major issue in such a case. But you should not leave a light that consumes higher levels of energy on for too long if you’re not using it.
Is it safe to leave the light bulb on for a week? How long is it safe to leave a light bulb on?
Yes, you can safely leave a well-manufactured light bulb on for an entire week without any issue.
There are some lights that are made of high-end elements, designed to consume very little energy and generate very little heat. These lights can be left on for several days on end without causing any issue.
You can leave lights such as LEDs on for a week. It will not pose any major threat to you or your home. These lights will also not cause your electricity bill to go too high; there will only be a slight rise.
Considering the nature of these lights, you can leave them on for as long as a couple of weeks at once. These lights are designed to serve you for a long time.
The average lifespan of these lights ranges between 35000 hours to 50000 hours. So you will not have to worry about damaging the light as well.
Can leaving a light on at night cause a fire?
Yes, leaving the wrong light on at night can cause a fire. The worst-case scenario is that the light gets damaged and bursts in itself. And some items in your home can catch a spark in the process, which can potentially turn into a fire.
So you should definitely be careful and be concerned about a potential fire risk when you are considering leaving a light on at night.
In fact, it is a rather common practice to leave lights on for the whole night. Many people do this for security reasons, some do it for pleasure.
Sometimes, it’s just accidental. Whatever the reason may be, you should check the type and condition of the light before deciding to leave it on for too long.
If the light is too old or generates too much heat, then you should not leave it on for too long. This can cause a fire in no time.
What happens if you leave a light bulb on too long?
There are several issues that can show up if you leave a light on for too long. Here are some common issues that you should consider:
Fire risk:
This is one of the most dangerous outcomes of leaving your light bulb on for too long. If you leave a light that generates too much heat for too long, then you are feeding a potential fire risk.
Traditional lights generally generate a significant amount of heat when you leave them on for too long. This can lead to a potential fire risk.
Overheated lights have caused serious damages in the past and till today, they remain very dangerous.
So you should be careful about it. Run a thorough check on the type of light and its condition before deciding to leave it on for too long.
Waste of energy:
Not all lights are designed to be energy efficient. Especially the traditional lights are not designed to save energy. So they draw a high level of energy when in use. So if you leave them on for too long, these lights will waste a significant amount of energy.
Higher electricity bill:
It goes without saying that when you’re using a source of energy that is not energy-efficient, it will not be cost-effective either. You will end up paying a higher electricity bill if you keep on leaving lights on for too long.
Will a light bulb last longer if you leave it on?
If you leave a light on for long, instead of turning it on and off frequently, then the light will last longer. When you keep the light on, rather than turning it off, and remember that you needed it on again, you end up working up the light and filament.
In addition, if you leave the light on, it minimizes the surge of electricity. So you end up drawing less energy than you would if you turned it on and off.
This way, you can keep the light in a good condition for longer. So yes, a light bulb will last longer it you leave it on.
Final Thoughts
How long you can leave a light bulb mainly depends on the type of light. You can leave an LED light on for the entire day, it will not cause any issue nor will it draw much energy. But you should not leave the traditional lights on for too long as they generate more heat and consume more energy.