The holiday season is a time for celebration and fun, and for most of us, a chance to host friends and family. While it’s fun to entertain over the holidays, things like inflated bills and additional expenses can quickly put an end to holiday cheer.
One of the biggest expenses over the holidays? High electric bills. The last thing you should be thinking about is leaving the lights on or the heat running when you’re enjoying time with loved ones. Rather than worrying about the upcoming costs of the Christmas season, here are a few holiday energy saving tips that can reduce your energy bills.
Use LED Christmas Lights
The holidays are a great time to decorate your house, but enjoying those traditional holiday lights can come at an additional cost. When you’re decorating the Christmas tree this year, use LED lights instead of your traditional Christmas lights. LED holiday lights use close to 90% less energy than normal Christmas lights. Because of their decreased energy consumption, you won’t have to worry about leaving them on for an extra hour or two.
In addition to LED lights, using rechargeable batteries and automatic timers can also save energy this holiday season. Decorations that use rechargeable batteries can be left on for some time, and won’t add to your energy bills. If you’re the type of person that forgets to turn off the lights, setting up automatic timers on your tree and outdoor decorations is the perfect solution. You can preset the timer to switch on and off so your lights aren’t on all day long.
Be Careful with Appliances
Another favorite part of the holiday season? All the delicious food. But, feeding all of your guests means leaving the oven and other cooking appliances on for long stretches of time, which can become costly.
Before you begin cooking, check to see if your appliances are energy star certified. That means they’re already optimized for energy efficiency and are typically indicated by energy star label somewhere on the device.
Next, make sure you only turn on your oven and other high powered appliances when it’s time to cook. Leaving hot plates or the oven preheating for extended periods of time will add to your energy bill. Simply being mindful can save you money in the long run.
Watch the Thermostat
The last big offender of a high energy bill is the thermostat. While this is the most wonderful time of year for entertaining, those large crowds will quickly change the overall temperature of your home. The combinations of guests and kitchen appliances will supply enough heat to keep your house at a consistent temperature.
Rather than let it run, turn down the thermostat before your guests arrive. You can always adjust it based on your guests’ preferences.
If you’d like to make the most of home this holiday season with, check out our Family (and Santa) friendly floorplans, and 5 Tips for Enjoying and Energy Efficient Home.
