Energy Saving Tips for Home and Business this Christmas

Christmas is here… and we all know that means thousands of dazzling lights and decorations! Let’s take a look at a few silly-season tips for managing your electricity useage.

Original article can be found here: CHRISTMAS ENERGY SAVING TIPS

1 – LED Christmas lights are the way to go

It’s a situation that comes around every year, the kids or the office staff are tasked with digging out the old Christmas decoration box. The tree goes up and the lights are draped around it. But did you know that LED Christmas lights use 90% less energy than regular ones?

These lights use light-emitting diodes, rather than filaments to produce light, making them more efficient, durable and longer-lasting than incandescent lights. They last up to 25 times longer than regular lights and they don’t burn out, they just get dimmer over time. The don’t emit much heat either, making them much safer than regular lights.

2 – Embrace fibre optics on the tree

Another option to save money on energy is by investing in a fibre optic tree and decorations. Fibre optic trees can look a bit over the top if you are into the more traditional style of decorating, but the lights on it last an average of 200,000 hours – about 20 years. The cost savings on energy is estimated to be around 90% when compared to traditional lighting, putting them in the same bracket as LED lights. The saving made here though is on the lifespan of the tree and the fact that you don’t have to buy any lights for it. Out of the box and up it goes!

3 – Christmas lights shouldn’t stay on 24/7

You don’t have to have the lights on all the time, remember, this is Australia. By the time Christmas comes around, it will be much warmer and brighter, meaning that the effect of Christmas tree lights will be lost.

You should invest in a timer that comes on when it gets dark at home or during your busier business hours. And don’t forget to turn the lights off when it’s time for bed or when you close up for the day or close up for lunch break. You should also invest in decorations that are dimmable.

4 – Turn up the mood, by turning off other lights

If the tree is up and you have lights and decorations up all over the place, then you might want to turn some of the normal lights off or at least dim them. People do enjoy the warmth of Christmas lights, but stepping into a business premises that is lit up like a night-club can be off-putting. Balance it out, place the lights and trees in an area where you can potentially turn off a few lights.

5 – Use a good multi-plug

We are all guilty of it, Christmas decoration boxes normally have an old multi-plug extension cord down at the bottom somewhere. It might be time to invest in a new one. You can save on energy by investing in a modern plug which will regulate current properly and make sure that electricity does not go to waste. It’s also a good idea to do so in the interest of health and safety. You can easily blow a fuse and that could lead to catastrophic damage to other appliances or even the business premises.

6 –  Don’t go overboard

When is the ideal time to start decorating for Christmas? Tradition has it that you should decorate 12 days before and 12 days after Christmas. As an eager beaver mum with little kids or as a business, you will probably do it a bit earlier, but do you really need to light everything up from the beginning of December? Also, resist the temptation to buy a ton of new decorations and lights. Dig out the decorations box early and see what you have before splashing out on new ones. Your first priority should be replacing traditional decorations with energy saving ones.

7 – Drinks and food

If you run an establishment that serves food, consider putting any seasonal drinks, or drinks you are putting on offer within easy reach. Leaving fridges and freezers open means higher energy bills. Make sure that staff close them each time they reach for something. Putting seasonal offerings in the one place will help them do that.

8 – Get the most out of your air conditioning unit

Yep, it’s probably going to be hot and you are probably going to need to turn the air-conditioning unit on. The most important things to remember here are that you do not need to set the thermostat to 17 degrees! The most comfortable and efficient temperate to set it to is 22 degrees Celsius. Make sure staff do extra rounds to make sure that doors leading outside are closed and make sure that they all self-close. You will save a lot of money if you are not trying to cool the whole neighbourhood down. Make sure not to place heat-emitting decorations next to the thermostat as this will trick it into thinking that it is hotter than it actually is.

9 – Consider batteries

Some of the decorations available these days can be powered by both mains electricity and batteries. This means that you have an option to use rechargeable batteries to power them.

10 – Turn things off

It sounds like a no-brainer, but this really is the most important one on the list. When a shift ends and everyone goes home, things can be left on. Tell your staff to be more careful during the Christmas period and tell them to make sure that all decorations are turned off and unplugged. Energy is still consumed when devices are plugged in so you really should pay extra care and attention and make sure that everything is unplugged.

11- Good quality decorations

Buy good quality reflective decorations such as baubles which will reflect light around the venue. Anything reflective or sparkly will give the illusion that there are a lot more Christmas lights than there actually are. Get creative and use decorations to replicate the disco ball effect.

12- Water heating

It’s Christmas, it’s going to be hot! You can turn down the water heating at your venue to make up for the warmer ambient temperature. Remember though, the optimum temperature is 60°C, hot enough to kill Legionella bacteria and warm enough for staff and guests to use comfortably.