Green Holiday lighting isn’t just for Christmas anymore! Green lighting, the movement—not the color, is becoming popular for all holidays, especially the energy-consuming Christmas season. The amount of power used during the holiday seasons is astronomical so using environmentally friendly lighting is super important and uber chic. The good news, in addition to it being the holiday season, is that going green is both easy and affordable these days.
Make the Switch to LEDs
The simplest, and biggest green improvement for your holiday lighting is making the switch from the old-school incandescent light bulbs to LEDs. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) use only 10% of the electricity sucked up by their incandescent counterparts. They have come down in price in recent years, just about matching that of incandescent AND will save you money in the long-run by saving you 90% of your holiday lighting bill. LED bulbs will last significantly longer than incandescent, giving you a full 100,000 hours.
Also, in addition to making your wallet happier, you can view your bright, showy lights with a clean conscience knowing that your lights are using less caustic materials like mercury and tungsten. Also, you can rest happily knowing that your holiday lights are safe for your family as they are cool to the touch and fire-safe, unlike their spark-causing alternatives.
If we haven’t convinced you yet to upgrade to LEDs, here is the kicker: when one LED goes out, the rest of them stay lit! That’s right, no more replacing every bulb in the chain to find out which one burned out.
Get Your Solar Panel On
Due to the low energy use of LEDs and CFLs they can be run from the power of solar panels—even in the winter with less daylight hours. While these require a small investment in the beginning, solar panels will pay for themselves time and time again—not just during the holidays either, they can be used year-round!
Timers
Timers are a great way to control the amount of power that is used because they set the time that your lights turn on and off automatically. Timers ensure that you don’t fall asleep with your lights on or overuse them. Timers are also a great way to control your lights while you are away visiting your family during the holidays, a tactic that can scare away home robbers.
By making a few simple changes you can change your white Christmas to a green Christmas; a holiday season that will help save the environment and put a little more green back into your wallet. To greenify your holiday season simply install automatic timers to control your energy use, solar panels to cut down on the energy you buy, and replace incandescent lights with more-efficient LEDs. Make these three small changes and your holiday season will be bright, safe and efficient.
