Burning the candle at both ends

[tedwin]

Although we already use compact flourescent bulbs where we can, we like to be environmentally friendly (and reduce light pollution in our quiet town) by turning out the lights outside and in public areas of the inn at night. But, staying up until midnight when all the guests have returned to their room and then getting up at 5 AM to start breakfast doesn't leave much time for shut-eye. For those of you who run solo and stay busy night-after-night, what do you do? Leave the lights on all night? Add programmable timers to your light fixtures?

 

[EmptyNest]

We used a sensor that turns out door lights on and off automatically for some. Others we had to physically turn on and off. If we forgot...not a big deal most outside lights are low voltage ones.

 

[gillumhouse]

My porch lights go on only when I expect guests or I am going to be using the front door (Council meeting nights). When there are guests in house, the hall lights (stairs) are on every minute guests are in-house. An insurance agent told me that IF a guest has to reach out and flip that light switch, does not, and falls down the stairs - I am liable because the guest has to reach out and flip the switch. Electric bills are cheaper than lawsuits and judgements.
We only have lights (usually just one lamp each) on in the rooms we are occupying plus the kitchen because it is a safety issue for DH walking through the house at night. We are both conservers and CHEAP - the operative word.

 

[wendydk]

I turn off the outside lights once guests are in. One lamp each in the parlor, dining room and stairwell are on all night (stairwell light is always on when guests are in house).
Sign lights are on a timer, come on just before dark and go off about 1am. Guests are always in by then, rarely out after 11pm.

 

[Don Draper]

Outside lights are on a timer, we made the decision very early on that our sleep was worth much more than the electricity from lamps burning inside. Every now and then you get a really considerate guest who will turn them off if they are up late.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

I wouldn't stay up late turning off the lights. I always keep a lamp on downstairs in the main room so people can come and go anytime. The outside lights are on from the dark of the evening till the light of the morning and the rest of the lamps are on intermatic timers.

 

[EmptyNest]

WOW...as busy as I see you are....GOOD FOR YOU!!! THAT IS GREAT!
However,I think you need a little bit more in the way of time management

or can you hire someone to come in and help you a bit??
You wait up for guests???? I would not do that. They are adults, you are not a babysitter. Go to bed and get some sleep.
And 5 am for breakfast...wow...can you do some prep ahead the night before, choose some dishes that you can put in the fridge and then cook in the morning. get the table set etc...so you don't have to be up quite so early?
Get a coffee pot with a timer so that if guests want it early, you can prep it all the night before and have it setting out with cups etc so they can help themselves.

 

[Markie]

We have motion detector lights so when someone drives up at night the light comes on. I'm lucky as my husband is an electrician!

 

[JBloggs]

We have timers on a few items, our parameter lights, our gate lights, our light for the signage out front we cut down by 1/3 with a more efficient bulb and it has a sunset to sunrise sensor on it.
Issue cropped up with some of the old lighting fixtures and timers and certain bulbs.
Each evening we go to "night mode" inside which means if extra lights were turned on,dining room, etc we turn on the smaller side lamps for the evening with the energy effic bulbs in them.
Now this is very seasonal - obv longer daylight hours in summer and guests are OUT later doing stuff...so we leave the parameter lights (this is the footpaths and gardens) on til 2pm, in winter just til midnight.

 

[tedwin]

WOW...as busy as I see you are....GOOD FOR YOU!!! THAT IS GREAT!
However,I think you need a little bit more in the way of time management

or can you hire someone to come in and help you a bit??
You wait up for guests???? I would not do that. They are adults, you are not a babysitter. Go to bed and get some sleep.
And 5 am for breakfast...wow...can you do some prep ahead the night before, choose some dishes that you can put in the fridge and then cook in the morning. get the table set etc...so you don't have to be up quite so early?
Get a coffee pot with a timer so that if guests want it early, you can prep it all the night before and have it setting out with cups etc so they can help themselves..

I'd like to think we're special but it's busy for eveyone here -- even the crappy places. It will all dry up once the leaves fall off the trees and, at this point, I can't wait!
We do have some cleaning help on weekdays when I'm at the office but we don't feel confident turning over breakfast preparation and service to someone else. We do prep as much as possible in advance but we often have cyclists that eat at 7:30 AM for an early departure and our Park Service guests eat at 7 AM so they can get to their classes on time.
I don't want to give the impression that we stay up until all our guests are soundly to sleep. We do retreat into our apartment once check-ins are complete. We stay up until around 11 PM and turn off lights if all the guest cars are accounted for (otherwise we will leave the house lights on overnight). Ideally, I'd like to get to bed around 9 PM so perhaps I need to look into some of the electronic timers suggested in this thread!

 

[Suzie Q]

We have motion detector lights: 1) Driveway; 2) Parking Spot; 3) Each side of the front door. Occasionally a guest will automatically turn out the light for the front walkway, not realizing another guest will follow. Force of habit for them at home, I guess.
We have a 3 way flourescent lamp in the front room that serves each guest. (Useful to both.)
By prepping the night before, I can have breakfast (quiche,f/t, huevos rancheros, etc.) (sides, bread and fruit) on the table (and even set the table) for two rooms in 1/2 hour. Due to time constraints, I HAVE to.
C

 

[YellowSocks]

We have a motion detector on the garage/parking area light, although many guests never go back there and only park on the street.
We leave the lights on the house (up lights, sign light) on all night... they are on a sensor and come on at dusk and off at dawn. Thre is also a setting to come on at dusk and stay on a set number of hours.
I used to have the Christmas the lights are on a timer to come on at dark and burn til about midnight or so, but now I just leave them with the other lights... on all night.
In your case, I'd suggest either a timer, or the sensor that allows them to stay on a set number of hours after they turn on.
(And yes, sometimes in peak season I'm up til midnight and back up at 5 as well. I try to avoid it, but it happens.)
=)
Kk.

 

[Samster]

We do a combination of all of the suggestions. I would never turn off all the lights in our common areas. We never know when we'll get a sleepless guest or "wanderer" that wants to go outside to smoke or come look for a different magazine, DVD, or whatever. So, I have a few lights that stay on all the time. Our front porch light is on from dusk to dawn as we have had guests come in later.
Our room books tell the guests to leave the lights in the common areas on for the safety of all guests and we also tell them tha
We are converting to CFLs as lights burn out around here.

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

I have timers on some floor lamps in the Main Inn and electronic eyes on the exterior lights. I always have lights on at night. I am too afraid of someone falling down the stairs or something. Its insurance in my book.

 

[gillumhouse]

We do a combination of all of the suggestions. I would never turn off all the lights in our common areas. We never know when we'll get a sleepless guest or "wanderer" that wants to go outside to smoke or come look for a different magazine, DVD, or whatever. So, I have a few lights that stay on all the time. Our front porch light is on from dusk to dawn as we have had guests come in later.
Our room books tell the guests to leave the lights in the common areas on for the safety of all guests and we also tell them tha
We are converting to CFLs as lights burn out around here..

We are converting to CFLs as lights burn out around here
I am in the reverse. As the CFLs burn out, I am going back to incandescent. I use 40 watt because of my antique globes - the electrician told me to use nothing larger than 40 watt. I want the mercury out of my house. The enviros spend years making them take the mercury out of thermometers because ot was so dangerous but now they have advocated brining it into out homes in a form that breaks a lot more often than a thermometer ever did! How many of you had broken a light bulb? Lamp knocked over? Dropped while installing? Hmmmm???

 

[JBloggs]

all those cfl's gettin' together at our landfill making a happy mercury party and getting into the ground water...oh joy.

 

[gillumhouse]

all those cfl's gettin' together at our landfill making a happy mercury party and getting into the ground water...oh joy..

How many people are going to go the the expense of doing a hazmat disposal? Heck, I would bet most people have no clue there is mercury IN those things. So now we are creating toxic sites in the name of going GREEN. Hmmmmm......

 

[scrambled_eggs]

If you do want to recycle your CFLs you might try to contact your nearest ACE Hardware. I know the one where I live takes the used CFLS and has them recycled. There is a new bulb that I want to try and it is called the GEO Bulb. There are supposed to be a few of them in use at the White House. The price will be coming down so I hope to try one some day. Here is the link www.ccrane.com/lights/led-light-bulbs/geobulb-led-light-bulb.aspx

 

[Samster]

We do a combination of all of the suggestions. I would never turn off all the lights in our common areas. We never know when we'll get a sleepless guest or "wanderer" that wants to go outside to smoke or come look for a different magazine, DVD, or whatever. So, I have a few lights that stay on all the time. Our front porch light is on from dusk to dawn as we have had guests come in later.
Our room books tell the guests to leave the lights in the common areas on for the safety of all guests and we also tell them tha
We are converting to CFLs as lights burn out around here..

We are converting to CFLs as lights burn out around here
I am in the reverse. As the CFLs burn out, I am going back to incandescent. I use 40 watt because of my antique globes - the electrician told me to use nothing larger than 40 watt. I want the mercury out of my house. The enviros spend years making them take the mercury out of thermometers because ot was so dangerous but now they have advocated brining it into out homes in a form that breaks a lot more often than a thermometer ever did! How many of you had broken a light bulb? Lamp knocked over? Dropped while installing? Hmmmm???
.

They have a recycling program at our local home improvement stores for CFLs. My dh did extensive research on the amount of mercury in them and the difference in production between the incandescent and the CFLs. Trust me, it was exhausting....he is soooooooooooo analytical. He finally opted to do this.

 

[Morticia]

CFL's in the lights that are on all night. We HAVE to have some way guests can find their way around the house in the dark!
Timers would be good, but another option is motion-detecting sensors that turn the lights on and then off again.