Save electricity with motion sensors

When we think of home automation it is normal to imagine a sophisticated house controlled by a “digital brain” that automatically responds to our needs. Well, you too can enjoy hassle-free home automation with something as simple as motion sensors to turn lights on and off.

Lighting when needed

Lighting empty spaces is an expense, even with energy efficient light bulbs. Especially those you just walk through or where you stay only for a short time but where the lights may remain on for a long time. More or less until you notice and turn them off.

Long corridors, dressing rooms, bathrooms, inside wardrobes and cabinets, staircases and terraces are ideal spaces to place them in a flat. No more searching for the switch if there is a motion detection device. In the case of a house, the entrances, garage, boiler room and certain parts of the garden are also perfect candidates.

Aside from the convenience they offer, activating the lights when motion is detected also has an important element of security. Because just as they light up for you, they are activated when someone unexpected is in the area.

In addition, in the same way they turn on the lights, they automatically turn them off after a certain length of time with no activity. This can mean the end of lights placed where they serve no purpose.

Are they useful for saving on your bill?

Motion sensors help to avoid the unnecessary use of electricity and therefore help to lower your bill. Think of a lift that stays lit all the time, not only when someone is going to use it. This is a long time spent lighting an empty space, isn’t it? Well, the same thing can happen in your house when you turn on the hall lights to go from one room to another and the lights stay on until the end of the day.

Doing it once is not a problem, as we can all make a mistake, but when it becomes a habit, the cumulative expense year after year deserves to be taken into account.

The cost and consumption of motion sensors is more than offset by the amount money not wasted. Depending on the device, their power consumption ranges from 0.5W to 8W for the most powerful ones.

To give you an idea of how little this is, a low consumption bulb that is equivalent to the old 100W bulb consumes 30W. In other words, 60 times more than the sensor that consumes the least.

This is an expense that you more than cover with the savings it provides. 

How much does a motion sensor cost?

It depends on the space you want to cover. For interiors, a bathroom or a hallway, you can find high-quality devices for €5 to €10. In the case of outdoor sensors, the price can go up to around €200.

There are small ones with LEDs for inside cabinets, ceilings or walls that connect to the electrical system, are integrated into lamps, with detection angles ranging from 90º to 360º etc. There is a range and prices to suit all tastes and needs.

In the case of devices that go outside, those that include light sensors are a very attractive option as they remain inactive during the day and only start to work at nightfall when there is no longer enough daylight.

Are they easy to install?

It depends on how handy you are and how well you handle electrical installations. In theory, installing a motion sensor is no more complicated than putting a switch on a circuit. Of course, there are some special features to take into account:

• Inside the house they must be installed at a minimum height of 2.5 metres
•  You can place them on the ceiling or on the wall
• And it is important to get the sensing angle right

As always, our advice is that if you do not feel completely confident, call in a professional installer, like the ones that are available free of charge when you sign up for our OKluz Assist cheap electricity rate.