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RSSEnergy Efficiency During the Holidays: Save Money and Enjoy the Festivities!
GreenWerks | 
Dec 23rd, 2011 | 
The holidays are a time of lights, fun and festivities. They are also a time of high energy bills. If you’re the type of person that goes all out for the holiday season you may see that energy bill hit the ceiling as you continue to add more and more fun to your home. But with new advancements in lighting technology there are ways to cut down your energy bill without cutting down on the fun.
The main focal point of any holiday decoration tends to be the Christmas lights. Subsequently they are also the source of increased holiday energy bills. But there are ways that you can keep your energy bill manageable while still decking the halls with all the fun lights you want.
First, toss out all of your old lights and replace them light emitting diode (LED) strands. LED lights are readily available and come with the Energy Star logo meaning that they’ve met strict guidelines set by the EPA and Department of Energy. Anytime you can replace anything (appliances, normal lights, etc.) with an Energy Star substitute, do it. Not only will they reduce your energy bill but will also benefit the environment by cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to saving energy, LED lights also last up to ten times longer (thousands of hours) than the traditional incandescent bulb. This has to do with the filament. LED lights lack one and instead use electrons and a semiconductor contained in a much smaller bulb. The filament in a traditional incandescent bulb burns out much quicker and will need replacing much more often. The lack of a filament also causes the LED light to emit less heat meaning that it’s not hot to the touch and less of a fire hazard if, say, strung around a Christmas tree.
Finally, you can save money on your energy bill by equipping your holiday lights with a timer. Set the timer to turn the lights on and off at certain times of the day so they aren’t on constantly. The timer also saves you the hassle of plugging in and unplugging the strands day in and day out.
By replacing old incandescent bulbs with state of the art LED lights you can save lots of money on your holiday electric bill. Anytime you can make your home more energy efficient is a good thing. By doing simple things like adding a timer you can both make your home more energy proficient as well as a safer place for the holidays.
Written by Whitmire Custom Homes a Georgia custom home builder located in Gainesville, GA. We are proud to be a leading Atlanta luxury home builder and offer custom real estate in Atlanta.
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Although I have online jobs here and there, the holiday season is by far the most expensive time of year for me in terms of electricity consumption. I could try those LED lights, thanks a lot.
The energy consumption during holidays really jumps up significantly. Everyone being at home and preparing festive meals, all the lights for decoration. Sometimes we face outages because of the abnormal consumption, so saving energy is a good point to consider on holidays too.
Unfortunately holidays these days, including Christmas have become expression of excess and waste. Products are purchased just for the sake of the purchase. I am so sad that people no longer consider the environment and live their lives as if the shops will be closed tomorrow.
I must have read this last Christmas season. I never mind about my electric bill before since I know that it is important to feel the season by having your house covered with Christmas lights.