Gear Up for the Holidays With These Energy Saving Tips
The holiday season will be here before we know it. The holidays always bring a sense of cheer as you decorate your home for Christmas and shop for gifts for your friends and family. But this season also brings an increase in energy usage throughout your home. In addition to your furnace working overtime to heat your house during the cold winter months, you also have decorative lights to account for. But using extra energy this time of year doesn’t have to be a given. Consider these energy saving tips as you prepare for the holiday season.
Use LED Lights
Did you know that LED lights use 90% less energy than traditional Christmas lights? While the original purchase price of LED lights may be slightly higher than the price of incandescent lights, the cost of running LED lights each year is much lower. So, making the switch to LED will not only save energy, but it will also save you a lot of money in the long run. That makes switching to LED lights this year a simple energy saving tip to implement today.
Limit Your Lights
Although it’s fun to show of your light display throughout the Christmas season, those holiday lights can use up a lot of energy. Consider limiting the time your Christmas lights are on to only the times when you’re home to enjoy them. Or connect your lights to a timer to limit the time your Christmas lights display is illuminated each day.
Cook Smarter
Cooking and the holidays go hand in hand, which means you’re probably heating up your oven more often during the holiday season. Instead of cutting back on your holiday baking, there are a variety of energy saving tips you can implement during Thanksgiving and Christmas. First, be sure to use the oven light to check on your dinner instead of opening the door to peek. This will keep your oven from losing heat when you open the door. It also helps to multi-task while cooking. If you have dishes that require the same oven temperature, bake them together to reduce the amount of time your oven is on.
Turn Down the Heat
The holidays often bring family get-togethers. And while it’s tempting to turn up your thermostat to ensure your home is warm and toasty for your guests, turning down the heat is your best option. Not only will reducing the temperature in your home reduce your energy usage for the evening, but it will make your house more comfortable for your family and friends. The combination of the heat from the oven you used to bake dinner, hot food, and the warm bodies of your company will work together to make your home warm and inviting all evening long.
Gift Energy Efficiency
Electronics are always a popular gift to give during the holiday season. Pass on the gift of energy efficiency to your loved ones by ensuring that any tech you give them is Energy Star qualified. From televisions to computers, there are a ton of energy efficient options available on the market today. Aside from technological gifts, there are a variety of other ways to help your family and friends be more energy efficient in the new year. Gifting rechargeable batteries or charging stations with gifts that require batteries another great way to give the gift of energy efficiency.
We can make sure your home’s HVAC system is operating at peak efficiency and is ready to go for the cold Central Illinois winter. Give us a call and we’ll schedule your fall tune up today!
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