Light Up Your Holiday Season Safely
November 25, 2023
With the holiday season approaching and lots of shopping and decorating to do, Union Power’s Holiday Lighting Calculator is a great resource to help assist you this holiday season. Our calculator helps determine monthly energy savings by converting your traditional incandescent Christmas lights to LED bulbs—calculating savings based on the number of lights and strands used and the total hours the lights are on per day. With the guidance of this tool, members can make smart energy decisions while shopping for Christmas Lights and being mindful of cost.
In addition to using our Holiday Lighting Calculator, here are five tips to consider for a safe and energy-efficient holiday season:
1 Inspect your seasonal items
Each year, we all bring out some sort of treasured holiday memento that has either been passed down from generation to generation or is beginning to start a new tradition of our own. As valuable as it is to display those holiday treasures, it’s important to take a few moments to carefully inspect your holiday items and make sure everything is working correctly. Here are a few tips to look out for—brittle insulation on wire, damage to the wires and plug, chafed or frayed wires, especially at stress points, and corroded metal parts.
2 Shorten the Season
As much as we love to decorate for the holidays early, it can also affect your power bill. Many people keep their lights up longer than necessary, but each household is different. If you want to start a budget and save money on your energy bill, decide what time frame works for you. We recommend enjoying your lights during the holiday season but shorten the amount of time before and after the holiday season that your lights are being used.
3 Limit Light Time
Plugging your lights into a programmable timer can help save energy and costs! If you plan to use a timer for exterior lighting, make sure it is weatherproof and rated for outdoor use.
4 Choose Energy Efficient Lights
Making the switch to LED is a smart choice! They use 80-90% less energy than incandescent bulbs and have a longer lifespan. Although they may be a bit more pricey than traditional Christmas lights, they will save you money in the long run.
5 Broken Bulb
If you see a broken bulb, don’t worry! Just remember to always unplug the source from the outlet before replacing any bulbs or fuses.
At Union Power, safety is a top priority, and we encourage our members to practice safety while celebrating this holiday season. Visit union-power.com/energysavingscalculators to discover our energy saving calculators.