During the holiday season, many local Severna Park, Maryland, residents find that their energy bills increase. From hanging lights and decorations to hosting guests, it’s easy to spend more on energy bills during the holiday season. Combat higher energy costs by following a few helpful tips.
Use Power Strips and Timers
When you plug holiday lights in, they’ll use small amounts of energy, even if they aren’t on. Plug your lights into power strips, and turn them off completely during the day and when you head to bed.
It’s easy to forget to shut off the outdoor lights, especially if you’re spending the evening inside. Use light timers to turn the lights on at specified times, and automatically turn them off at a certain time every night. You don’t have to sacrifice the holiday spirit to save energy lighting your home.
Upgrade to LED Lights
LED holiday lights have a lot of advantages. LED lights are sturdier and resist breakage better, but they can also help you save up to 70 percent of the energy that traditional incandescent bulbs use.
If you have lights on your 6-foot Christmas tree, the approximate cost to light it up with LED lights for 12 hours per day for more than a month is about $0.27, compared to $10 for the incandescent lights. LED holiday lights cost more, but you’ll save a lot of money over the life of each strand.
Reduce Energy Waste in Your Home
When it’s cold outside and you have extra bodies in your home, these factors can make for some expensive heating and electricity bills. Combat rising costs by weatherizing your home to reduce waste, such as replacing weatherstripping around doors and windows.
Don’t forget to seal your fireplace flue damper, either. You can also schedule an HVAC service technician to visit your home to perform a tune-up, which will improve HVAC efficiency.
Our team at Coastal Heating & Air can help you save energy this holiday season by performing an HVAC tune-up. Contact us at 410-919-0110 to schedule a maintenance service right away.
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