As the weather starts to cool off, many of us are starting to plan for the holidays. One favorite thing for most people to do is to put up holiday decorations. To ensure that you don’t break the bank this winter season when you decorate your home, it can be exceedingly helpful to follow our energy-efficient lighting techniques below.
1. Use LEDs
One holiday decorating favorite is hanging lights from roof lines. While old C9 incandescent lights were standard practice just a couple of decades ago, LED has taken over as a favorite. LED lights use over 75% less energy than their incandescent counterparts. Furthermore, they last 25 times longer and don’t heat up during use. Opt for getting rid of those old incandescent lights and instead decorate with newer LED light strands.
2. Use Timers
It can be a real pain to constantly plug in and unplug your holiday lighting. In fact, when life gets busy, you may accidentally leave your lights running for days on end. This uses excess electricity and isn’t necessary during the daytime hours. Instead, try using a timer, which will allow you to set a specific time for when your lights will be on and when they’ll automatically shut off. Timers make holiday lighting more convenient for homeowners and help to reduce run times.
3. Go Reflective
It can be easy to get caught up thinking that all of your outdoor holiday decorations need to be electronic. The reality is that reflective decorations can help to amplify the lighting that other decorations produce. Choose strategically placed reflective ribbons, wreaths, and even garland in your outdoor display to enhance its overall look while minimizing your energy use.
4. Consider Solar-Powered Lighting
Another great way to help reduce energy usage during the holiday season is to invest in solar-powered decorations. These can soak up natural sunlight throughout the daylight hours. Then, your decorations can run for hours in the darkness to create a beautiful outdoor lighting display for your home.
5. Opt For Low-Voltage Bulbs
If you have holiday decorations that use incandescent bulbs that you don’t want to get rid of, you can still be more efficient with their usage. Check out what the recommended light wattage is for the decoration, and opt for a lower voltage alternative. The lower the wattage, the less power the bulb will use while it’s running.
6. Use Dimmers
Light dimmers are a great way to help reduce your energy use. The more you dim the lighting, the more energy you can save. Dimmers can be easily integrated to help alter the look of your entire holiday display and to create a more unique feel. For example, dimming some background lighting is a great way to create more contrast so that foreground decorations can take the spotlight.
7. Be Mindful of Light Height
When designing your outdoor holiday display, one thing you’ll want to keep at the back of your mind is the height of your lights. A light will list a key height where it can provide a good balance of illumination over the largest potential area. By stringing lights at their optimal height, you can better illuminate areas of your display without having to invest in more lighting as you would if you were to put the lights at a lower height.
8. Look For ENERGY STAR Certification
Just as appliances are given an ENERGY STAR rating, so are some holiday decorations. Those who have the certification have passed stringent standards for optimal energy efficiency. By opting to purchase only decorations that have an ENERGY STAR certification, you can ensure you’re purchasing items that will use less energy.
9. Use Smart Power Strips
Smart power strips are a great technology to integrate into your indoor and outdoor light displays. One of the biggest problems with using traditional outlets with an integrated light switch for the decoration is that the decoration can still pull phantom power. This is even the case when the switch is off.
This wasted energy can be eliminated by integrating smart power strips into your decorations. These strips are easily controllable by your smartphone and can be set to turn on and off based on your desired schedule. By using these power strips, you can completely kill the power to your decorations to ensure there’s no unnecessary phantom power draw.
10. Use Battery-Powered Decorations
If you don’t want to give up the lighting that holiday decorations can offer, another great alternative is to invest in battery-powered decorations. For example, battery-powered candles lighting up your walkway can be a great addition to your holiday decorating without having to waste money by driving up your energy bills.
11. Be Mindful of Indoor Lighting Use
If you’re like most homeowners, you’ll have multiple decorations inside your home. One of the most common is a Christmas tree. Many times, these decorations provide an adequate amount of light for your indoor activities. Do yourself a favor, and turn off your regular overhead lighting and lamps to save money on your energy bills.
12. Integrate Flood Lighting
There’s no denying that floodlights can produce a large amount of light for a big area. They’re a great way to help illuminate decorations, especially those that don’t use any of their own lighting. Consider integrating more LED flood lights into your holiday display to save on having to use multiple light sources to cover the same area.
13. Use a Holiday Lighting Calculator
Another useful tactic to lower energy bills during the holiday lighting season is to use a holiday lighting calculator. You can find these easily online. These free calculators allow you to input the number of light strands, their bulb type, and so forth that you plan on using so that you can get an idea of how much your intended holiday lighting will increase your wintertime energy bill. By understanding these calculations, you can make better-informed decisions about what combination of lighting will be ideal to keep your holiday decorating within your budget.
14. Be Selective With Decorations
Not all decorations are created equal in terms of their energy use. For example, running a strand of LED lights for an entire day may cost you a few cents. On the other hand, running an inflatable decoration for 24 hours can cost closer to a dollar.
If you want to be more efficient with your holiday decoration energy use, then opt for decorations that are more energy efficient. Avoid inflatables, incandescent lights, and blinking lights. These all use more electricity than LEDs that remain constantly lit throughout the evening.
Expert Outdoor Lighting Service
Accurate Home Services offers expert outdoor lighting service for the whole Kaufman, TX area. In addition, we can assist with all your air conditioning, heating, electrical, and indoor air quality needs. Schedule an appointment with one of our electricians by contacting our friendly office staff today.
