by Tim Smith
When the weather outside becomes frightful, don’t let your electric bill become shocking, too. Discover the many ways you can reduce your electricity use and save money on your energy bills, even during the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Regardless of the number of lights on your lawn, you can spend less for power during the season. Use the savings for spreading more holiday cheer to your friends and family.
Use Efficient Decorations
If you are still hanging incandescent Christmas lights, it may be time to upgrade. The next time you shop, select energy-efficient LED lights. Picking these lights could save you on your electric bill over the holidays, especially if you use several strings of lights and have them lit for several hours each day.
Bake More Often
Whether you prefer baking roasts or cookies, if you will be in the kitchen anyway, use the oven’s heat to help you to stay warm. Host a holiday baking party and turn down the thermostat on your heater. With your friends and family in the kitchen, their body heat and the heat of the oven will keep everyone toasty. At many parties, people naturally gravitate towards the kitchen’s warmth, and you will not need to persuade them too heavily to do the same at your next holiday event.
Check for Air Leaks
Hanging Christmas decorations outside is the perfect time to check your home’s doors and windows for drafts. Hold a candle on the inside of a window, and if the flame flickers, then there is a leak that needs to be sealed. Add weather stripping around leaky doors and windows to better insulate your home and keep it more comfortable during the holidays and throughout the year.
Dress Your Windows
During the holidays, seeing cheerily lit windows from the street on a snowy, dark evening may be heartening. But those windows with the curtains pulled back may allow cold to creep into the house. Install heavy curtains on all your windows and keep them open during the day to let in the sun’s warmth, but after sundown, close the curtains tightly to keep cold air from getting into your home. You may also consider putting a heavy blanket on top of your curtain rod to keep cold air from seeping around your curtains and into your home.
Keep an Unused Room
Seal off one or two rooms in your home that rarely get any use and do not heat them. This will make the rest of your home feel warmer and your central heat will not have to work as hard to maintain that comfortable temperature. For the holidays, store your presents in those unheated rooms before you get a chance to wrap them. Since the rooms will be cold, no one will want to venture into them to get a peek at their presents.
Don’t let the cold weather of the holidays make you fear a higher energy bill. You can still save on your electricity spending during the winter while having a jolly holiday with your friends and family.
For more energy ideas to help you save money I recommend visiting the EPA.gov and Modernize.