Two-thirds of Americans decorate their homes with holiday lights, and even small displays can add to high winter energy costs. Shorter, colder days make lights and heat pumps run longer, and hosting guests can raise appliance use.
Scott Dunning, a professor and certified energy manager, gives simple tips. He recommends swapping incandescent bulbs for LED lights. For example, a strand of 100 incandescent lights costs about $3, while 100 LED mini-lights cost $6. If lights run six hours a night for six weeks, incandescents can cost much more for the season than LEDs.
Solar-powered lights use sunlight and do not add to the electric bill when they get enough direct sun. Dunning also suggests using timers for outdoor inflatables to lower costs and cleaning solar panels so they work well.
Difficult words
- decorate — put things to make a place look nice
- display — a group of items shown for peopledisplays
- bulb — a glass light part for a lampbulbs
- incandescent — giving light by heat in a bulb
- solar-powered — works using energy from the sun
- timer — a device that turns things on or offtimers
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Related articles
Nepal’s large solar potential blocked by policy and borders
An EMBER report in October 2025 shows renewables overtook coal, with solar responsible for 83% of the rise. Nepal has 432 gigawatts of solar potential but faces domestic caps and border politics blocking projects.
AI and Wearable Devices for Type 2 Diabetes
A meta-review from the University at Buffalo examines AI-enhanced wearable devices for Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. The study finds predictive benefits and important limits, and calls for larger, more transparent studies before routine clinical use.
Indigenous groups at COP30 demand forest protection and rights
At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, indigenous peoples and local communities asked for stronger protection of tropical forests, recognition of territorial rights, and direct access to climate finance. A GATC and Earth Insight report maps where extractive industries threaten forests and people.
Lake Tana: Turning Water Hyacinth into Home Energy
Fishermen around Lake Tana faced problems from invasive water hyacinth. Researchers led by Yezbie Kassa tested small biogas systems that use the weed and animal dung to make cooking gas and fertiliser, helping some families but facing scaling challenges.
Hair can record chemical exposure
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that human hair stores a timeline of chemical exposure. By heating intact strands and scanning the released molecules, the team reconstructed past exposures that blood or urine cannot show.
Environmental crimes and enforcement in the Dominican Republic
By September 2025 authorities brought 118 cases under Law 64-00. SENPA, the Ministry and prosecutors report many seizures and inspections, and citizens can report offences through the Green Line app or other channels.