Ross and Witmer 
If you’ve seen your household energy costs spike with that first electric bill after the holidays, your Christmas season lighting displays – both on the house and the tree – probably played a role in that. The good news is that you can transition to energy efficient holiday lights without sacrificing the festive atmosphere of the holidays. Here are some ways to save on electricity costs while still celebrating the season in style.
Traditional Holiday Lights
Believe it or not, traditional holiday lights cost a lot to run and aren’t so great environmentally. Having those Christmas tree lights blazing away, coupled with high-wattage outside holiday lights, you’re undoing many of the benefits of faithfully turning off lights in unused rooms for the other 11 months of the year. If that were the only option, you might just say, “What the heck; it’s Christmas!” The thing is, you do have other options.
LED Holiday Lights
Energy efficient holiday lights – mainly in the form of light-emitting diode (LED) lights – are plenty bright enough for your Christmas tree or outside holiday lights. Yet, they use less than a quarter of the electricity to run. Plus, they’ll keep working for much longer. Solar-powered lights are another option, though they tend to burn a bit dimmer than holiday LEDs or standard incandescent light bulbs.
Safety Tips With Holiday Lights
Another advantage of LED holiday lights is that they burn much cooler than incandescent lights, so there’s less danger of burning a child’s (or your) hands. Still, you’ll want to remain aware of safety tips when using any sort of holiday lights. First, makes sure the lights have the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) seal of approval. Also, before stringing the lights, check to make sure all of the wires are intact, with no fraying or damaged sections. Don’t try to repair a damaged string of lights; just replace them altogether. It’s a small price to pay for safety.
For more information on saving energy and staying safe during the holidays in your Charlotte area home, please contact us at Ross & Witmer.