The most wonderful time of the year is the perfect time for saving energy. In this festive period, many people light their homes and gardens from dusk until dawn, sometimes even all day, 24/7. This can be a huge waste of energy, without mentioning the electricity bills coming in January.
The question is, how can we enjoy the celebration with lights and low bills at the same time? Maybe there are some solutions that are worth a try.
First of all, it is strongly recommended to use LED lights, because they are extremely energy efficient and they last at least 5 to 10 times longer as ordinary bulbs. There can be found as many types, colours – cold or warm and multicolour lights – even shapes, as you wish. LEDs are also more eco-friendly: they do not contain toxic chemicals like conventional bulbs, furthermore, they are more resistant to harsh weather conditions and can withstand the freezing temperatures and, last but not least, they run well on low-voltage power supplies.
For your outdoor decorations, there are a bunch of opportunities to be more sustainable (and wallet) friendly: Christmas lights and decorations cab be run by solar cells, which means natural and renewable energy. They can operate up to 8 hours, of course, it is depending on the weather and type of construction.
Also, a timer can be used to spare more energy. Is it really necessary to leave the lights on for 24/7? The most attention they get is between down and the time before going sleep, so the remaining time of lighting is actually a real waste of energy and money.
If we think about the indoor decoration, the previous statement is also a good choice: use a timer even for the Christmas-tree lights – of course, LED lights – that is not only eco-friendly but also a safe solution: do not leave the lights on anywhere in the house, because a short-circuit can make a short end to a happy Christmas holiday.
So after being sustainable at Christmas decorating, here is a little hint to also be time-efficient: a Christmas-tree hack from Housebeautiful shows how to place your lights on the tree as quickly as possible: “all you need to do is start by placing your lights at the top of the tree and string them down vertically, rather than wrapping around horizontally. Cleverly, it will mean you won’t use as many lights (you won’t need to place any towards the back) and it’s a much quicker process, too.”
After all, not just your sustainably conscious family members, friends and neighbours, but Mother Earth will be grateful that you are doing your part to help the environment, even at Christmas.