Energy Saving Tips for the Holiday Season

ENERGY SAVING TIPS. for the Holiday Season INSTALL A PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT This allows you to set the thermostat to a lower temperature while you are away. Save 10% a year on heating and cooling bills by setting your thermostat 10-15 degrees cooler for 8 hours per day. Turn down the temperature of your water heater to "warm" setting (120 degrees Fahrenheit). Aim to keep temperature at 68 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter. Keep the thermostat lower while guests are over, as the added body heat will offset the temperature. LED LIGHTS LED lights consume 70% less energy than conventional incandescent light strands. With LED lights, it only costs $1.27 to light a 6 foot tree for 12 hours per day for 40 days compared to $10 for incandescent lights. Turn off room lights while the Christmas tree is lit. A study determined that Americans consume about 2,220 GWh (gigawatt hours) of electricity each holiday season by using standard incandescent holiday lights. A 20% shift by American households to LED lights would save 440 GWh of electricity during the estimated 30-day holiday season. Set holiday light display on automatic timers Aim for a max of 6 hours per day. Or unplug your holiday lights during the day. Unplugging items, or plugging items into a power strip that can be turned on and off, can save Americans $100 a year. Use fiber optic decorations which typically use only a single bulb to light the entire decoration. Decorate with candles to lower the electricity bill. RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES Purchase rechargeable batteries and an Energy Star battery charger to go with battery operated toys and gifts. 40% of all batteries are purchased during the holiday season. The average American uses 8 batteries a year. Energy efficient battery chargers could save US families more than $170 million annually. Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/eco-friendly-christmas-tips-ideas_n_2288199.html http://frugalliving.about.com/od/christmas/tp/Save_Energy_During_Holidays.htm http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/saving energy/index.html http://energy.gov/articles/12-days-energy-savings https://storify.com/ENERGY/tipsenergy-how-to-save-energy-during-the-holidays http://life.gaiam.com/article/10-easiest-things-you-can-do-save-energy-during-holidays TES ENationalPositions Profitable Internet Marketing Telecom Electric Supply Company