We spoke with energy efficiency expert Mike Naughton to getholiday energy-saving tips that canlower your electric billthis busy season.
Meet the Expert
Mike Naughtonis the founder and CEO of Cleveland-based energy brokerage, Integrity Energy.
Adjust Heating
Heating is the single largest contributor to your monthly power bill.
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Due to temperature drops and activities,heating costs riseeven more during the winter holidays.
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Install a Smart Thermostat
Analog or digital thermostats that cannot be scheduled waste energy.
Smart thermostats make temperature setbacks simple and seamless.
Switch to LED Lights
Though charming, traditional incandescent lighting is a huge energy waster.
The solution, Naughton says, is to switch to LED lighting.
Some LED lights can have a cold, white appearance.
But it’s easy to forget about them once you’ve gone to bed or left home.
Limit light usage to waking hours when you’ll be home.
Not only does this needlessly use energy, but it’s also unsafe.
The solution is to group nearby devices onto one power strip.
This will allow you to turn on and shut off everything at once.
Tip
If delicate electronics are on thepower strip, use a surge protectorinstead.
It has the same functions as a power strip and protects against electrical spikes that can damage sensitive devices.
Add Smart Plugs
Electronic devices consume power even when not being used.
Phones, gaming devices, or other electronics plugged in all day could unknowingly increase your energy bills.
Smart plugs curb energy waste.
Smart plugs combat energy waste by reducing excess consumption, Naughton says.
When guests drift to other areas of the house, these lights and devices often remain running.
While timers and smart plugs do a great job at limiting energy use, sometimes human intervention is best.
Appoint someone to occasionally sweep the house andturn off lightsor devices running in empty rooms.
Use Low-Energy Decorations
Holidays are made bright and cheery with electricity.
A newer outdoor holiday decorating trend is to pull the plug:
