Español

ENERGY USE

Tips to make your home festive—and energy efficient!

The holidays can bring joy as well as more energy use as households decorate—and celebrate! A few simple choices can make a festive home also energy efficient.

1. Use Smart Plugs to Control Holiday Décor 

A smart plug lets you set a timer or schedule for your decorations, so your lights and inflatables aren’t running all day. For example, you can program them to turn on at dusk and turn off before bedtime. This ensures you’re not wasting energy during daylight hours or while you’re asleep. Even better, many smart plugs can be controlled from your phone, so you’ll never forget to turn them off. 

2. Look for LEDs  

LED holiday lights use about 75% to 90% less energy than traditional incandescent lights and last up to 25 times longer. A string of 100 traditional mini-incandescent bulbs can use about 40 watts while the same string of LED lights uses only 4 watts. Over a month of use, that difference can add up to several dollars of savings—especially if you run multiple strings of lights! 

3. Think Twice About Powering Inflatables 24/7 

Inflatable decorations bring cheer to the neighborhood, but they use more energy than you might expect. A small 4-foot inflatable might use about 50 watts while larger 12-foot displays can draw 200 watts or more while running. Left on 24/7, a single large inflatable could add $15 to $20 to your holiday electric bill. Using a smart plug to limit inflatables to evening hours can cut that cost in half or more. 

The bottom line 

By combining smart plugs, LED lights and the mindful use of inflatables, you can enjoy all the sparkle of the season while managing energy costs. A little planning makes your holidays brighter, greener and energy efficient.  

Want to measure your energy use? MGE provides watt meters at local Madison-area libraries—you can check them out just like a book!