Cheap Trick Thursday: save energy -- and money! -- during the holidays
Okay, unless you live on 34th Street, you're probably not blowing your household budget paying for electricity to power animated decorations and lights for your house. But! The less money you waste firing up icicle lights, the more you'll be able to use somewhere else.
BGE recommends that customers use timers to control when lights are on --- no need to have them going all night, right?
You could also try For significant energy savings, consider decorative LED light sets, which according to the utility company can last up to 30 times longer than traditional miniature lights and use 90 percent less energy:
On average, 300 standard incandescent indoor miniature twinkle lights running for 5 hours per day use approximately .60 kilowatt hour (kWh) and cost approximately nine cents per day. Seventy-five standard incandescent larger outdoor lights that require C 9 bulbs use approximately 2.63 kWh and cost approximately 39 cents per day.
Of course, those LED light sets cost more than the others ...
... but they'd be an excellent item to stock up on during after-Christmas sales.
Other energy-saving tips from Erin Huffstetler at About.com's Frugal Living blog include using fiber-optic decorations and planning your holiday cooking so you bake several dishes at a time, rather than firing up the oven when it's cold.
She also recommends turning down the thermostat when you have guests --- more bodies in the house, the less heat you need!
Here are some more holiday safety tips from BGE:
o Keep ladders and other objects at least 10 feet away from overhead power lines.
o Use nonflammable or flame retardant decorations.
o Only use lights that are Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) approved.
o Ensure lights and extensions cords are approved for outdoor use.
o Check electrical cords for frayed or exposed wiring and replace if necessary.
o Don’t overload extension cords or wall outlets.
o Use candles with extreme caution and never leave them unattended. Be sure they are in stable, nonflammable holders and keep them away from flammable items like trees and other decorations.
o Before using a fireplace, be sure the flue is open and move wrapping paper, gift boxes or other flammable objects away from the firebox.
o If using a live tree, make sure it is fresh and watered regularly.
o If using an artificial tree, be sure it is fire resistant.
(photo: Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)
Comments
The LED lights sound great, but only if you'd need to replace old sets. Wouldn't it be non-green for me to fill up a landfill with old lights, just to save a few pennies on electricity after getting some expensive LEDs?
Cheese, you bring up quite the Frugal Dilemma --- is it "greener" to use less energy or to use less stuff?
My own parents refuse to switch to CFLs until their existing incandescent bulbs burn out. In that situation, they're really hurting themselves --- they could save a lot of money installing the CFL I purchased for them.
It's not as clear cut for holiday lights --- you don't use as much energy to power them, so your savings of both electricity and money is so much less. As a result, it makes the most sense to switch to LEDs when you're planning to buy new lights anyway. I say you can hold out for after-Christmas sales! --- lfk
Posted by: Cheese | December 4, 2008 7:47 AM