Real Estate Blog

The holidays are almost upon us and that means there will be a surge in electricity and energy bills as heating systems are turned on, Christmas lights are illuminated and guests arrive from around the area to share in the holiday cheer. If you’re excited for the holidays but would like to ensure that your bills don’t go through the roof as a result, here are some simple tips to keep energy consumption down this holiday season. 

Upgrade Your Lights

Christmas lights use a lot of power, but newer LED lights and decorations are much more efficient. In fact, LED lights use 8 times less electricity than standard lights, meaning you can either use a lot more of them or you can cut your electric bill by up to 85%. If you combine that with a timer to turn your lights off periodically and ensure they are not on longer than they need to be on, then you will save a lot of money over your electric bills last year. 

Light the Room with the Tree 

Not only does a lit Christmas tree look that much nicer in all its glory, but it means you can turn off other lights in the same room and save some serious electricity. You can also supplement the decorations with safe, glass contained candles - just make sure to blow them all out before going to sleep. 

Buyer More Battery-Free Gifts

More and more gifts are electronic or battery operated. If you have small children go the old school route and get some non-battery operated gifts or if you are interested in buying a new electronic gadget for a family member, recycle an old one or get a highly efficient, low energy consumption model instead. 

Consolidate Cooking 

Often during the holidays you end up cooking a lot of food over long periods of time. Instead of pouring so much energy into getting all of that food and cooking for days or weeks at a time, consolidate. Cook all of your meals at once using the smallest possible appliances and ensure the food is cooked quickly to reduce energy consumption. 

Your electric bills will often go up at the holidays, but that doesn’t mean you have to be okay with it. Instead of allowing your bills to go out of control, take action now to cut them back and save money by making small, affordable changes.