Efficiency and Safety Tips for Holiday Lighting

The Holiday Season is upon us and that means it is time open up that attic and start pulling all those red and green boxes out. As your home undergoes a decorative holiday refresh, here are some things to consider when it comes to safety and efficiency.

• If you are hanging lights at a ground level you can skip this one. However, if you plan to hang lights in tall or odd locations be sure to have one or two people to secure your ladder as well as pass you up decorations. Don’t do things like overreaching. If you cannot reach or are not centered, get down and re-position your ladder and have an extra person around to assist you and hold the ladder. This will keep things much more organized keeping lights from being tangled etc. while keeping you significantly safer.
• Remember to be aware of your surroundings and be sure to keep a safe distance from overhead electric services.
• Be sure not to overload circuits by connecting more lights in a set than what the manufacturer recommends. Look at the packaging for information.
• Inspect wires for breaks and cracks that can lead to shorts.
• Light selection is the next step. If possible, invest in LED lights. Why switch to LED? Longevity and cost operation are the two main reasons. Very different than older incandescent lights, LED will flat out last for years, it can be expected that they will last 7+ years. They also don’t have any filaments to burn out, unless you physically destroy the bulb LED’s tend to be super reliable. On the cost side of things. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, LED bulbs consume up to 75% less energy while lasting 25 times longer. Since Christmas lights are typically on for the whole month of December. You will save some money on your electric bill if you make the switch.
• If you truly want to manage the cost of operating Christmas lights, invest in timers that turn the lights on and off and set times. This way you can set the lights to only come on in hours when it is dark out, therefore, saving you money.