The holiday season is a joyful and jolly time of the year in Annapolis, Maryland. But when you consider all the expenses that can quickly add up, it can easily become stressful. You don’t have to forgo cooking feasts and buying gifts to pocket more pennies, though. Follow these tips to help conserve energy and save money through the holidays:
Decorate Your Home With Energy-Efficient Holiday Lights
The incandescent holiday lights that you’ve been decorating your home with for years are highly inefficient. They also aren’t very durable. When one bulb blows, it usually means that half the strand doesn’t light up. How annoying.
LED light strands, on the other hand, are brighter, friendlier for the environment, safer and use less energy. They last 10 times longer, too. While it takes 40 watts to power a string of 100 incandescent mini lights, it takes less than five watts to power 70 wide LED lights. Powering incandescent holiday lights can cost you up to 90 times more.
Additional Holiday Decorating Tips
- Use fiber optic holiday decorations to save even more energy and money through the holidays.
- Turn off all the lights in the room when your Christmas tree is lit, and decorate it with candles.
- Set a timer for your lights to limit daily usage to no more than six hours per day.
Gather the Family Around the Table for a Potluck Dinner
Unless you’re a super chef, cooking a holiday feast for your family can feel as stressful as reading your energy bill in January. And preparing a dozen dishes at the same time isn’t exactly an energy-efficient way of preparing the meal.
To decrease your workload, stress levels and energy consumption, consider hosting a potluck dinner instead. In addition to helping you, it’ll help your family and friends bond because everyone will have to contribute to a happy holiday feast.
Additional Holiday Cooking Tips
- Avoid opening the oven door to check on foods cooking in it; instead, peak through the window.
- Turn the oven off 10 to 15 minutes before the dish is fully cooked to take advantage of residual heat.
- Match the size of your pan to the heating element when cooking on the stove top to avoid wasting energy.
Set Your Thermostat to the Best Settings for Energy Efficiency
For maximum comfort and efficiency, HVAC experts recommend setting your home’s thermostat between 66 and 68 degrees throughout the holidays. For every degree you lower your thermostat, you can reduce energy usage by 1 to 3 percent. The best time to lower it is when guests are visiting, when there’s additional body heat to warm your home.
Additional Holiday Comfort Tips
- Replace your heating system’s filter at the start of the season to ensure it operates efficiently.
- Set your hot water heater to 120 degrees to cut your water heating costs by up to 10 percent over the holidays.
- Utilize your fireplace – if your home has one – during the holidays to reduce your heating system’s workload.
Schedule HVAC Maintenance for Your Heating System
Your heating system accounts for nearly half of the energy your home consumes during the holidays. To maximize its efficiency and keep your monthly utility bill in check, it’s important to invest in HVAC maintenance before the season starts. If you haven’t already, make sure your heating system is tuned up and ready for the busy season ahead.
The holiday season is a busy time of the year filled with laughs, love and plenty of hectic moments. In the midst of the frenzy, don’t forget to give your heating system the gift of professional HVAC maintenance. Call Coastal Heating & Air Conditioning Co., Inc. at 410-919-0110 to keep your loved ones warm and save money through the holidays.