Light Up the Holidays with Energy Efficiency

If you haven’t already, you’re probably getting ready to decorate your home for the holidays with lights and other festive flair. The Department of Energy estimates lighting accounts for about 15% of the average home’s electricity use. With that in mind, your electricity use has the potential to jump during the holidays thanks to lights and other decorations. 

You don’t have to scale back on your holiday cheer to save money. You can still put on the best display in the neighborhood and save on your electric bill by following these tips:

Switch to LEDs

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, help reduce the cost of decorating your home because they use up to 75% less electricity than incandescent bulbs. Plus, they last longer – sometimes up to 60,000 hours, according to the Edison Electric Institute. 

LEDs not only offer efficiency, but they also factor in safety. They are cooler than incandescent bulbs and more resistant to breaking since they’re not made of glass. 

Look for the ENERGY STAR® 

ENERGY STAR-certified lights are a great way to help save this holiday season since they use less energy than traditional incandescent lights and are tested to meet strict requirements. Available for indoor or outdoor use, they come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes and offer features like dimming and color shifting. 

Use automatic timers 

Turning lights on and off at certain times can help save you money. There’s no need to keep your outdoor lights on overnight or during the day when it is still light outside. Your indoor lighting can also be turned off when you’re asleep or no one is home. Automatic timers allow you to set the times you want your lights on and off each day so you don’t forget. 

Plug into power strips 

Using power strips helps prevent phantom energy, or standby power – energy used even when devices are turned off but still plugged in. Plug lights and other decorations into the power strip and turn everything on or off all at once directly through the switch on the strip. This will help make managing your energy use even easier. 

For more tips and resources to save energy and money all year, visit www.firstenergycorp.com/saveenergy.   

CONTACT: Brooke Conlan, 330-807-7564