Small Changes, Big Savings: Energy-Efficient Habits for the Holidays

We’re well into the holidays now! Even though this is an exciting time of joy and family, our budgets can quickly become strained with all of the shopping and hosting. A great way to keep your budget in check this season is to practice energy-efficient habits around the house. While this may seem impractical during the holidays, it can actually be quite simple. Here are some small steps you can take to make your home more energy-efficient and save on your power bill this holiday season:

Switch to LED Lights for Holiday Lighting Displays

Many people’s favorite thing to do during the holidays is to drive around and look at all of the lights. Other people don’t enjoy looking at the lights as much as they like putting them up! They want their house to be the brightest, most magical one on the block, channeling their inner Clark Griswold from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. If you’re one of these people, consider how you can make your home a showstopper while still practicing energy efficiency. 

If you use traditional incandescent string lights, you’ll definitely notice a drastic change in your electric bill. Instead, make your outdoor holiday lighting displays more energy-efficient by using LED lights, since they produce the same amount of illumination while using significantly less power. They last longer, too. You can even use LED string lights inside on your tree or garland for extra savings!

Use Timers for Lights and Decorations

String lights aren’t the only decorations you can practice energy efficiency with. Some decorations, like yard inflatables, have internal lights that you can opt for LED. Beyond that, the internal lights and the electric fan, both of which are on continuously, are huge energy drains. 

If you want to make your yard shine without having to sacrifice your favorite decorations, put them on a timer. This will automatically turn them on and off at a certain time, preventing them from running all hours of the day. Sometimes we forget to turn them off, even during the day when they don’t need to be on. This is a good way of taking the thinking work out of holiday energy savings.

Decorate With Non-Electric Decor

Although holiday lights, yard inflatables and tabletop Christmas villages are many people’s favorite decorations—and they definitely create holiday magic around the house—they can use quite a bit of energy. Instead of using a bunch of decorations that use electricity, try opting for more non-electric decor items, like garland, wreaths, ornaments and figurines. You can still deck out your home without the energy drain!

Cook and Bake in Batches

Cooking and baking are huge energy drains, especially during the holidays when people are preparing large feasts. Because stoves and ovens are heat-producing appliances, they use a lot of electricity. It’s not realistic to avoid cooking during the holidays altogether, but you can be smart about it. 

Instead of baking one dish or dessert at a time, bake multiple. Just like you fully load the dishwasher before you run it to save hot water, you can put multiple dishes in the oven at once to save electricity. If you’re cooking on the stovetop, turn the burner off a few minutes early. Since it takes time for the burner to cool down, the leftover heat can finish cooking the food, saving you a little bit of energy—and every bit counts!

Turn Down the AC Before Guests Arrive

All throughout the year, the HVAC system is the biggest energy culprit. During the holidays, when it’s extra cold out, this is especially true. While we may be tempted to crank the heat so our home is nice and warm when our guests arrive, you can get away with turning the thermostat down a few notches before they arrive for a get-together. With all of the cooking and body heat, your home will warm up, making blasting the heater an unnecessary power drain.

Be Mindful of “Energy Grinches”

Throughout the year, we call them “phantom energy users.” During Halloween, we call them “energy vampires.” And during the holidays, we call them “energy grinches.” All of these terms refer to the same thing—devices that use standby power. 

Electronics like lamps, chargers, TVs and video game consoles continue to draw power, even when they’re turned off or in standby mode. While this may seem minuscule, standby power can account for 5%-10% of your home’s total energy consumption, making a noticeable difference on your bill. Don’t let energy grinches steal your electricity like the Grinch stole Christmas! Unplug unused devices or use smart power strips that automatically cut off the power supply to devices that are turned off or in sleep mode.

With these few simple changes, you’re ready for a fun, festive and energy-efficient holiday season. To save even more on your power bill all year round, go prepaid! Get started with Texas prepaid power company, Pronto Power, today to take control over your energy costs! Call us at (844) 621-2852 or contact us online.