The holiday season is just around the corner. Festive music will soon flood the airwaves, sparkling lights and decorations will adorn homes and businesses, and good tidings will abound.
The holidays also bring a frenzy of decorating, cooking and family gatherings. Amid the hectic hustle and bustle, you may receive higher-than-usual energy bills.
Keeping this in mind, I thought this month would be a good time to remind Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative (GCEC) members of a few programs and efficiency tips to help lower your monthly energy use.
- Programs designed to help you save. Winter months typically bring some of the highest energy bills of the year. Making minor, low-cost improvements, like weatherstripping exterior doors and caulking around old, drafty windows, can positively impact energy bills. Contact GCEC to schedule a free home energy audit if you are unsure where to start.
- Be festive without breaking the bank. LED holiday lights use 88% less energy than incandescent holiday lights. To put that into perspective, the Department of Energy estimates that with standard holiday decorations, LED lights typically increase energy bills by $5 to $7. But with incandescent lights, energy bills will typically increase by $33 or more. Beyond energy savings, LEDs provide additional benefits, such as being shockresistant, shatterproof and cool to the touch, making them safer for the home.
You can also lower energy use by conveniently managing holiday lighting. Smart light timers can help you save energy by connecting to a smartphone app or voice assistant and programming lights to turn on and off at set times. If you don’t use smart home technology, you can still save energy by using traditional timers.
Additional easy ways to save during the holidays include turning off overhead lights and using your Christmas tree to illuminate your home. If you have a fireplace, remember to close the flue when not burning a fire to prevent heat from escaping through the chimney. - Cook up energy savings in the kitchen. If you plan to have family and friends over this holiday season, you can save energy by using small countertop appliances like microwaves, air fryers and slow cookers when possible, as they use much less energy than the stovetop or oven.
When using the oven, bake multiple dishes at once for maximum efficiency. After all, it takes as much energy to cook one dish as it does to cook several. Turn the oven off a few minutes before the recipe’s end time and allow the residual heat to finish baking the dish. Once the food has finished cooking, leave the stove door ajar to allow the residual heat to warm the room. When using the stovetop, match the pan size to the burner to maximize the stovetop’s efficiency.
I hope a few of these tips will be helpful as we approach the holiday season. Remember, we’re here to answer any questions about managing energy use or your monthly bills.
From your friends at GCEC, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season.