When leaving a room for a short while is it more energy efficient to leave the light on rather than switch it on and off?
Through numerous tests, the MythBusters calculated that the power surge from turning on a light would only consume as much power as leaving it on for a fraction of a second (except for fluorescent tube lights; the startup consumed about 23 seconds worth of power). Therefore, it is far more economical to turn a light off rather than leaving it on.
Source – http://thoughtcatalog.com/christine-stockton/2013/08/23-things-everyone-believes-that-have-been-disproven-by-mythbusters/
