The difficult economy and concerns about home and vehicle energy costs need not dim your holiday cheer this winter. Frugal, fun, and more Energy-efficiency holiday tips for child education from the Alliance to Save Energy can take the “chill” out of the holiday season by lowering home and vehicle energy bills as well as pollution and greenhouse gas emissions:
Holiday travel. “Over the River and through the Woods to Grandmother’s House We Go” often means either a road trip to get there or a rental car upon arrival. The Alliance’s Drive $marter Challenge website offers road trip tips (http://drivesmarterchallenge.org/money-saving-tips/Default.aspx) and resources (http://drivesmarterchallenge.org/money-saving-tips/fuel-efficient-resources.aspx) such as links for a customized map showing where to find the cheapest gasoline along your travel route as well as information on renting fuel-efficient vehicles and public transportation at your destination.
Honey, what you mean you got me insulation for my holiday present? There’s some good news this holiday season. You can make home improvements that keep your family toasty — and get a tax credit to boot. Add insulation, sealing, high-efficiency windows and a number of other efficient products and not only reduce your monthly energy bills but also save up to $1,500 on your federal income taxes for certain improvements. Details at www.ase.org/taxcredits.
Be an “ENERGY STAR” with energy-saving presents. Electronics, home office equipment, appliances and other products with the ENERGY STAR label — the federal government’s symbol of energy efficiency — not only make great holiday gifts but can also cut related home energy bills up to 30 percent. More potential good news: check out state and municipal energy efficiency incentives and rebates being made available in your area as part of the federal stimulus package as well as rebates from energy companies and product manufacturers.
Lower operating costs and increase safety with LED holiday lights. LED technology (Light Emitting Diode) for holiday lighting is a smart choice. LEDs use 10 times less energy than incandescent mini-lights and 100 times less energy than standard bulbs, last more than 50,000 hours, are safer because they’re virtually indestructible and stay cool — which means they’re safe to the touch and eliminate fire concerns. They are easily strung and don’t overload a typical household’s electrical circuits. If the bulb does burn out, the other bulbs will stay lit, so you can easily replace only the bad one.
To further maximize holiday lighting savings, use timers to limit light displays to no more than six evening hours a day. Leaving lights on 24 hours a day will quadruple your energy costs — and create four times the pollution. And be safe — untended incandescent lights can cause fires, so always unplug your interior holiday lights before going to bed or leaving the house.
SOURCE Alliance to Save Energy
