How Simple Mirrors Can Save You Money

I'm sure you already know that a mirror's purpose is to reflect. When you look into a mirror, you expect to see a reflection staring back at you. We rely on mirrors everyday when we drive, for personal care like brushing our hair or putting on make-up, and maybe even for looking in hard to see places.

But they can also help reduce your electric bill, if placed correctly.

Let me take a step back for a moment.

Did you ever walk into an older home, and see mirrors in almost every room? When we were house hunting years ago, I remember walking through quite a few homes. But one stood out in my mind because of the "over-use" of mirrors. There were mirrors hanging on the wall in the bedrooms, living room, dining room, and of course, the bathrooms.

At the time, I thought this was weird, perhaps even a little vain. I mean, who has a mirror in every room! As I look back on it, I remember another startling detail. There were only a handful of lamps in the entire house.

As it turns out, mirrors reflect light. (OK, no surprise there...) And if you place a mirror in a position across or at an angle of a light source, it will reflect the light itself, making the room appear brighter, as if there was another lamp or light where the mirror is!

What this house's owner mastered was the "art" of hanging and placing mirrors in a position where they can reflect light and eliminate the need for more lamps. And the less lamps that are used or on at a given time saves money on electrical costs.

Now this was an extreme example. There's no need to go overboard and start placing mirrors everywhere. But try this - the next time you have the urge to buy a lamp because you think a corner of the room is dull, and needs some decoration or light, try hanging a mirror somewhere in the room. If you hang it somewhere like on the wall or in the area you're trying to light up, you may find that it reflects enough light to illuminate it so you don't need a lamp or other decoration.

If you have trouble believing this for yourself, think of it this way - what's usually the brightest interior room of the house? The restroom. Most of the time, this is due to the mirror reflecting light. The difference would be even more apparent if the light source was across from the mirror.

Still want proof? I propose a simple experiment. Choose a dimly lit room, or turn off all the lights except one. Turn on the light. Make mental note of the light level in the room.

Now take a decent sized mirror. Position is across from the light source. Turn on the light again. The room will seem brighter. Try moving the mirror in different position relative to the light source. The difference isn't only noticeable, its borderline amazing.

Mirrors are useful in any room of the house. If you don't want to use a regular mirror, feel free to try mirror art, in which images are etched or engraved into the glass. Bottom line - as long as it reflects most of the light that shines against it, it will work fine.