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.
Discussion questions
- Do you put holiday lights on your home? How long do you leave them on?
- Do you use LED or incandescent bulbs for decorations? Why?
- Have you tried solar-powered outdoor lights? What was your experience?
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