How to Save Energy This Holiday Season

The holidays are quickly coming up on us and we all love to find new ways to save a little extra around this time of year, especially as our kids get older and want more expensive presents from Santa. So, we put together a list of tips and tricks to save energy and cut costs this holiday season, and year round.

• Are you having problems with your thermostat? Is it being finicky and does it seem not to want to work properly? Now is the perfect time to ask Santa for an upgrade. Investing in a new thermostat can save homeowners 15%, or more, on energy costs.
• Speaking of that new thermostat… lower it when your holiday party, or any gathering, starts. It isn’t something that many people think about but having a few extra warm bodies automatically raises the temperature in your home. Add in holiday cooking and your home temperature is already rising without the additional assistance of your heating system.
• When you are doing the cooking and baking, remember to bake several dishes at once when possible. This helps reduce the energy that goes into warming your oven each time, especially if you already cook a lot in your home and can help prolong your oven’s life.
• Search your home to find any leaks and seal them. Check areas particularly around pipes, chimneys, outlets, drafty doors and windows and if there are any unfinished spaces in your home. If you have a wood burning fireplace, make sure to also close the damper when not in use. Leaving the damper open is equivalent to leaving a window wide open since it allows air to escape out of the chimney.
• Take advantage of Earth’s natural heat and open the drapes to let the sunshine in during the daytime. Remember to close them at night though to help cut down on drafts from when the windows get cold and to hold the heat in your home.
• One of the most famous things about the holiday season is having the tree lit. So, turn off additional lights when you do light your tree to enjoy the ambiance of it. You’ll still have plenty of light in the room just from the Christmas tree and it saves energy from not running additional light sources that aren’t needed.
• Speaking of Christmas lights, make sure you deck the halls, walls, trees and everything in sight with LED lights. LED Christmas lights use about 90% less electricity than regular Christmas lights do which saves you extra in the long run.
• When you are displaying your holiday lights, be sure to put them on a timer. Set this timer to turn the lights on when it gets dark and then to turn off when you go to bed, or an approximate time if you are night owls, usually only running them for 6 hours at most a day.
• Are you leaving town for the holidays, or any vacation in general? Make sure to unplug all of your electronics before leaving town. Things like TVs, game systems, computers, printers, sound systems, chargers and many other electronics continue to use energy even when they aren’t turned on. Before you leave, take the time to go through the rooms of your home and disconnect these to prevent any unnecessary energy usage.

Do you have any additional ideas on how to save energy for the holiday? Sound off in the comments below! Do you need assistance in making sure that your heating system is ready to go for the holidays as well? Give your trusty HVAC experts at Aire Serv of Wake County a call and we will have your heating systems up working before you hear the reindeer hoofs on your roof. Need electrical help as well? We have partnered with Mr. Electric of Cary this holiday season to be the dynamic duo for all of your holiday energy saving needs!