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Christmas lights offer a festive holiday look, but LED lights use 80 percent less energy than traditional standards.
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When holiday cooking and a house full of guests raise your home’s temperature, take advantage by dialing the thermostat back a few degrees to save energy.
With guests in your home and holiday festivities taking place, your electric meter tends to spin a little faster this time of year. Celebrate efficiently so you don’t have to worry about a high electric bill after Jan. 1.
Decorating tips
- If you choose to decorate with strings of lights, consider LED (light emitting diode) options. They use 80 percent less energy than traditional strings of lights and have a longer life. Make sure to purchase high-quality strings from reputable sources.
- Place strands of electric lights on timers so they automatically turn on in the evening and off around bed time. You won’t have to spend time thinking about plugging and unplugging them.
- Decorate with less lighting. Consider a natural, vintage feel for your decorations. Use items like pine cones, greenery, candy canes, popcorn strings and gingerbread. The whole family can get involved with decorating the home with these safe and festive items.
Cooking tips
- Cook with your microwave, toaster oven or slow cooker whenever possible. Small appliances cook quickly and more efficiently than your oven.
- When you do use the oven, cook more than one item at a time. Have a ham, sweet potato casserole and rolls that all need to cook in the oven? Make some adjustments to cooking temperatures and times, and put all your dishes in at once to take full advantage of the heat that’s being produced.
- Don’t peek! It’s tempting to open the oven door to check on holiday treats. Use the oven light instead, and keep the door closed. This will keep the heat where it belongs—inside the oven.
- Glass and ceramic dishes allow you to cook food at a lower temperature than metal baking dishes. If the recipe calls for a metal baking pan and you substitute glass or ceramic cookware, reduce the temperature by about 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Defrost food before you cook. Simply planning ahead can cut cooking times and energy use in half. Place any frozen dishes in the refrigerator the night before so they are ready to go in the oven the next morning.
Around the house
- Extra people bustling around and the oven warming food will heat up your home a few extra degrees. Take advantage and turn your thermostat down accordingly. You will save money, and your guests will still be comfortable.
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