Saving Money on Energy This Winter

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This holiday season there are going to be numerous opportunities for you to reduce what you are spending simply by making good choices about your holiday decorations and what you choose to do with them.  This doesn't have to mean cutting back on anything or changing the way that you decorate, but it can mean major savings for you. With LED lights bulbs and with different pieces of LED lighting, you can dramatically reduce your energy consumption, save yourself some money and keep that holiday spirit alive in your home.

Energy bills during the winter can run sky high. We keep our heat sources running longer and harder to stave off winter chills. We turn our home lights on earlier after daylights savings time makes it darker sooner. We also string up countless strands of colored lights to celebrate.  All those extra lights raise the electricity bills. With all of the money you'll be spending on food and gifts, anywhere you can find places to reduce cost can make a difference.  Now reducing that electric bill doesn’t mean you have to forego your twinkle lights this year or keep the lights turned off.  Though being smart on how long they are plugged in can be helpful, there are other more effective ways as well. With the right decisions about your decorations and home lighting, you'll reduce the consumption of light in your home, and you'll also reduce your costs for the holiday.

There are a few smart things that you can do save money spent on lighting and energy this winter.  With LED 12 volt replacement home lights for MR-16 halogen bulbs, you can light your home for extended amounts of time using far less energy. Testing against a regular halogen light showed that LED versions can last 20-50 hours longer and will cost a modest 30 cents a year to run. This can make a huge difference in those winter bills.  Use LED halogen light replacements in your kitchen or bathroom light fixtures to create a beautiful under cabinet lighting.  They can also be used as spotlighting for pieces of art on the wall or your Christmas tree.  They are also great cost savers for outdoor halogen flood light fixtures.  Even replacing just a few of your fixtures with these will have a noticeable effect on your bottom line.

LED twinkle lights are much easier to find on the store shelves this year than last.  With more and more people trying to do what they can to go green, LED lights are the perfect answer to the power sucking strings of twinkle lights we have all used and loved for years. Made using LED bulbs, these strands of lights will last far longer than traditional Christmas lights and will consume far less energy.  LED mini lights for the season are estimated to use 80% less energy – that’s less than a dollar for the whole month of December.  Forget shelling out more money next year for new lights too because these lights have an average life of 20,000 hours.  The cost savings on replacement lights as well as your electrical bill will be changed by sampling investing in these new LED lights now. 

Another huge tip when it comes to cutting back your costs not just during the holidays, but all year round, is to get to work replacing lights that you already have with energy efficient light bulbs.  Consider all the lights that you may have on longer during the winter as you entertain guests and have the family home for Christmas.  Your porch light will be on more. Your guest room and bathroom lights will get a workout.  All of these extra lights will impact your monthly bills. Go through your lamps and light fixtures and replace your incandescent bulbs with more efficient incandescent and LED bulbs if you to get on top of improving your home’s energy-efficiency and ensure you won’t be replacing burnt out bulbs while your guests are around.

There is a growing list of ways you can improve your energy efficiency and save some money this holiday season.  Lighting is one of the most impactful because it is used every day and quite abundantly this time of year. It is also the easiest to improve upon with today’s technology and availability of products.  Spend a little money now to update your light fixtures and Christmas decorations to save so much more this season and throughout the year.

~Ben Anton, 2008

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