I posted an answer to a related question here.

If they had used light the way we do, now, yes: they would have gone through lots of candles. But even the cheaper tallow candles were something of an expense, and the light from a candle or single oil lamp was not as bright as the typical interior lighting today, so you would find most people living and working by daylight, and managing their candle supply according to need. If you got a room at an inn, for example, you would typically pay for a candle, if you wanted one: they wouldn't just give you one for free. Theaters and dress occasions might consume a lot of candles ( which would often drip molten tallow or wax on people's clothes) but bright lighting of a large space was expensive, and so mostly people illuminated a thing, not a space- like the Abbé Huber, here working close to two candles , so engrossed in his reading he hasn't noticed one of them needed tending and has gone out.

Hey there! AskHistorians doesn't allow "any time throughout history" questions--they usually get a bunch of disjointed short responses. Could you please specify a time period you're interested in, like medieval or 19th century or such?

Thanks!