Save energy and spread joy this holiday season

The holidays are a time of year that many of our members eagerly anticipate. The season is celebrated with hearty foods, festive decorations, and fun-filled activities.

Whether you’ve already decked your halls or you’re just getting started, there’s still time to save energy with your holiday décor all while incorporating best practices all month long. Coweta-Fayette EMC is here to help you find ways to manage your home energy usage while keeping things merry and bright.

If you haven’t strung your twinkle lights, be sure to use LED light strands. LEDs consume far less energy than incandescent lights and they can last up to 40 holiday seasons. They’re much easier to install – as you can connect up to 25 LED strings without overloading a wall socket. And they’re also safer because they’re made with epoxy lenses, not glass, making them more resistant to breaking––and they’re cool to the touch, so no burnt fingers!

If you missed Santa’s memo about energy-saving LEDs and your holiday lights are already up, you can still save on lighting costs. Use an automatic timer to manage energy used by outdoor holiday lighting and other electric décor. With a light timer, you can easily program when you want your holiday lights turned on and off, which will save you time, money, and energy. When using a timer for exterior lighting, make sure it’s weatherproofed and intended for outdoor use.

Don’t forget – Frayed or damaged décor simply isn’t worth the risk. Toss out any worn out (electrical) decorations and replace them for a safe holiday season. Extension cords help bring our holiday lighting to life! But be mindful of where you place them.

To add extra twinkle at night, you can install solar-powered spotlights to illuminate your home – and save on energy usage! Solar spotlights are a great addition to your holiday décor because they run on natural energy from the sun, so there’s no additional cost to your energy bill.

And remember, even if the weather isn’t all that frightful, the fire truly is delightful. Fireplaces add a cozy ambiance to any home all while minimizing energy consumption – and some people love crisp, cool weather and bundling up by the fire. To maximize fireplace efficiency, close the damper when a fire is not burning.

Regardless of how you choose to decorate your home for the holidays, there are plenty of ways to save energy throughout the season. Visit www.utility.org for additional energy-saving tips.

Happy Holidays from our co-op family to yours!

Coweta-Fayette EMC is a member-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to over 80,000 consumers in Clayton, Coweta, Fayette, Fulton, Heard, Meriwether, Spalding, and Troup counties.