This Holiday, Be Careful With Your Christmas Lights
Thanksgiving is here, and you know what that means: it’s time to break out those holiday decorations you’ve been waiting to set up all year. Few things are more exciting than starting to see Christmas lights being hung up all around the neighborhood but watch out – those lights you’re hanging on your house could be impacting your electrical output more than you think.
Every Little Light Counts
While Christmas lights are small, they can all add up quickly. Plenty of lighting ideas you’ll see online will feature strings upon strings of Christmas lights, and while you might not think each one adds much, they can quickly overwhelm your home’s circuits. If you’re not careful, your decorations could lead to electrical issues that can create a dangerous situation.
Increased Electric Bills
Not only can too many Christmas decorations cause electrical service issues; it can increase your electricity bill dramatically. Depending on the type of Christmas decorations you include in your household setup, you could see a dramatic spike in your utility due to the increase in usage.
Avoiding Issues
How do you avoid some of these Christmas complications? Start by minimizing the number of lighted decorations that are utilizing a single outlet. This is especially important when using older less efficient decorations. Utilizing timers will keep from forgetting to turn lights off and having them run all night. It could be time to replace those older decorations with newer more efficient ones. Look for decorations that specifically use LED bulbs over traditional incandescent bulbs. LEDs use only 15% of the energy a standard halogen light uses and provide up to 85% more light output. Instead of paying hundreds on your Christmas electricity bill, you’ll end up paying just a slight bit more than you’re accustomed to on a normal month. In fact, you might not even notice a difference at all! LED decorations can be more expensive than traditional lighting options, but they’ll last you far longer and use far less energy, making them the better long-term option.
The holidays are here, and you’re ready to get out and decorate. Before you start hanging any Christmas decorations though, you may want to check with your electricity provider for more tips and tricks on how to get the most savings out of the season. For more information, contact Amos Electric Supply today.
