Automatically turns off lights after a preset period.

Global warming in relation to our use of energy is a subject that is heavily debated. A major use of energy is the consumption of electricity in our homes and industries. Perhaps the most obvious waste of electricity in our homes (although certainly not the largest) is caused by lights being left on in areas when the occupants have left. Nowhere, perhaps, is this more common than in halls and stairways. Fitting switches which turn off automatically after a preset time in these locations can reduce the electricity consumed quite significantly. A single 100W bulb left burning all night (say eight hours) would consume 800W/hrs. The same bulb fitted with a switch which turned off automatically after say five minutes would consume only 83W/hrs, even in the unlikely event that it were to be activated ten times during this period.

This project is activated by touch and has the added bonus of a small neon light, which enables it to be easily located in the dark. The finished unit is mounted on a standard electrical blanking plate and can replace any conventional light switch. Although intended primarily for conventional incandescent light bulbs, the circuit has also been found to work with low energy fluorescent types.