Christmas is around the corner, and for homeowners in Texarkana that means decorating your home in festive holiday items and of course beautiful Christmas lighting! But how can you keep the house looking bright and festive without a hefty electric bill?

Fortunately with a few simple adjustments, residents of Texarkana can save tremendously this holiday season. Generally speaking, better investments and a bit of creativity will help to cut down your electricity costs.

Making the Switch to LED

When it comes to your holiday lights, the first and the most important step by far is making the switch to light-emitting diodes. While LED strands cost more than traditional incandescent strands, the savings you’ll recuperate on your bill add up very quickly, especially when it comes to large outdoor displays.

What’s all the fuss? On average a typical C9 LED bulb needs about 1 watt, which is seven times less than the same-size incandescent bulb. For instance, studies reveal that if you run a 50-bulb strand of the LED lights for 100 hours, it would use 5 kilowatt-hours of power compared to roughly 35 kilowatt-hours with standard, regular bulbs. At 12 cents per kilowatt-hour, that’s nearly $3.60 per strand removed from your bill. Sure it may not make a big difference for small-scale lighting indoors, but for larger displays outdoors you could save hundreds or thousands of dollars.

It’s all About Timing

Of course LED lights still cost money to run, but being strategic about when you light them can help with cost savings. Consider pre-set timers to operate your outdoor lighting displays, so they are only on during appropriate hours. A good reference? Set your lights to come on at 5pm and run them until 10pm; this 5 hour window gives your lights plenty of attention at peak hours. There’s no reason to keep your Christmas lights on while everyone is asleep, so choose a wise window of time and stick to those hours. In the end, your electricity bills will thank you! You can purchase most timers for approximately $20, and some LED lights even come with them. Timers cost less than $20, and some LED strands even come with timers built in.

Go Battery-Powered

If the power bill is your main target, then turning to battery-operated decorations like window candles or door wreaths, can contribute to savings. Plus most of the time, you can get at least a couple seasons out of your AA or AAA batteries before having to replace them. On the other hand if you’re looking for a long term solution, purchase rechargeable batteries, and use the same ones each year. Consider stringing less light throughout your home to save even more; an alternative solution might be using display items such as inflatable reindeer and Santas to give your lawn a boost without significantly high power bills.

As you can see, saving on energy costs this holiday season is easier than you think. Help the environment while you help your pocket during the process! Sustainable Services wishes everyone a healthy and happy Holiday Season, and exciting New Year! Contact us for more information on our sustainable solutions, and how we can help your Texarkana home and business go green in 2015.

Call 1-855-738-4710

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