Give yourself the gift of holiday energy savings

It’s time to string the lights, deck the halls, tie the bows – and save energy. Put energy savings at the top of your wish list for a generous gift that will keep on giving.

It’s easy to ensure there’s more “green” in your home than what you see on your Christmas tree.

For example, use a timer to turn off your outdoor holiday lights at bedtime. Just 10 strands of incandescent lights lit for seven hours a day can add $30 to your monthly bill.

Before untangling last year’s holiday lights, take a look at the bulbs. If you’re not using light-emitting diode (LED) lights, you could be wasting energy and money. LED lights save up to 98 percent of the energy used to power conventional bulbs.

This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 1, 2009.