Our church is looking at ways to reduce the electric bill. We contacted the local electric company and their representative came out and looked things over and gave a few pointers. One of his suggestions was on Sunday morning when we turn on the lights in the sanctuary (25-30 150 watt halogen bulbs) that we turn the rows on one at a time a few minutes apart and it will save cost. He said the sudden surge of turning them all on at once would trigger a higher KW usage.
If the meter outside reads in kilowatts what difference does it make if I turn the lights on one at a time over several minutes versus turning them on one at a time a second or so apart. The total current use should be the same either way right? Unless we were able to flip all the switches simultaneously the inrush current through the lamps should be the same whether I turn them on seconds apart or minutes apart.
Am I missing something here?