Celebrate the Holidays With 12 Days of Energy Savings
The holiday season was traditionally celebrated over 12 days. With these 12 cost-saving tips, you can enjoy lower energy bills all season long.
Day 1. Wrap your home for comfort
Air leaks make holiday guests less comfortable and your heating system work harder. Inspect windows and doors for leaks and seal them with caulk or weatherstripping.
Day 2. Switch to LED holiday lights
LEDs are much more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs, allowing you to light up your home for less.
Day 3. Use timers for holiday lights
Plug lights into timer controls that automatically turn lights on at dusk and off at a set time. It optimizes savings and convenience.
Day 4. Decorate creatively
Use creativity to decorate your home instead of energy-using lights. Light reflectors and tinsel add extra shine to your tree without using energy. Make handmade decorations, such as a wreath for your door.
Day 5. Maintain your fireplace
A crackling fireplace can add a warm atmosphere to any holiday gathering, but it can also waste energy. Have the chimney and fireplace checked by a professional. Close the damper after use. Install fireplace inserts to reduce heat loss through the chimney.
Day 6. Give the gift of energy savings
Energy-efficient devices, such as LED bulbs and smart power strips, make great stocking stuffers. For gadget lovers and do-it-yourselfers on your gift list, consider smart thermostats and water-efficient fixtures. SWEPCO will help pay for several of these efficient products with energy efficiency incentives.
Day 7. Cook holiday meals efficiently
All that extra baking and cooling can fatten your energy bills. Match pots and pans to the size of your burners to avoid wasting energy. Use heat-retaining glass or ceramic cookware when possible. Bake multiple batches of cookies and pies at one time to optimize energy use.
Day 8. Adjust the thermostat
Turn down the temperature when holiday guests arrive. Extra bodies in the house mean extra heat at no cost to you. Install a Wi-Fi smart thermostat that automatically optimizes savings and comfort according to your schedule. SWEPCO offers a $75 incentive on ENERGY STAR®-certified models.
Day 9. Clean up energy waste
When your holiday meal is done, scrape dishes instead of rinsing them before loading them into the dishwasher. To optimize energy use, wait until the dishwasher is fully loaded before running it.
Day 10. Turn off electronics
Switch off your stereo and TV when you're finished enjoying holiday music or re-watching your favorite holiday classic. Better yet, plug those devices into an advanced power strip, which automatically shuts off power to unused devices. Once again, SWEPCO offers an incentive for the purchase of advanced power strips.
Day 11. Leave your home efficient
Taking a holiday trip? Give your energy bills a break, too. Turn off lights and unplug unused electronic devices before you leave. Adjust the thermostat to save energy or set it to vacation mode. Unplug holiday lights or set a timer to limit use.
Day 12. Make energy-saving resolutions
Wrap up your holiday season by resolving to save energy in the new year and beyond. Many of these tips make a great starting point. Remember to have your heating and cooling systems inspected by a qualified professional and change furnace filters regularly.
With these tips, you can use less energy and be more comfortable this holiday season and all year long.
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