With so much to do around the holiday season, it’s easy to forget about your energy use in the home. However, there are many ways to save both money and energy around the house using new and improved technology.
Starting with a Christmas essential – fairy lights. “Christmas lights are something that you take them out, you use them every year,” Ken Maleski of Central Electric Cooperative told our newsroom. “You put your lights on and one or two bulbs go out and you’re trying to figure out which one. With the LEDs, if one goes out, the rest of them still work. They’re built a lot stronger and you’re twisting and turning them. They’re built to last. Safety’s the biggest thing with the LED lights, it’s the way to go.”
In addition to substantial energy and money savings, LED lights have the added benefit of being far safer than traditional incandescent lights which can get very hot. So, if you are planning to replace your incandescent lights with LEDs, then it might be time to call for lighting installers from firms like Calibre Connect who can install the light fixtures quickly. Plus, they come in so many colours it’s easy to find a set that matches the rest of your house.
Secondly, something that you might not think about much at Christmas is your heating bills. Of course, we’re all dreaming of a white Christmas, but that means freezing nights and equally as freezing days. As guests and well-wishers come and go from your home, you’re losing a lot of heat (and money) to the outside. Luckily, by installing Heat Pumps in place of your old boiler, you can suck heat straight out of the ground or air and pump it into your home, either to heat it directly or to heat the water in your central heating system. So, effectively what you get is no gas or oil bills and free hot water! But, do make sure that your home insulation is proper and there are no heat leaks anywhere. Single glazed windows can cause about 70% heat loss, but that can be remedied by upgrading to double glazed units. Double glazing can improve the building sealing and thereby reduce your energy bills.
One last area where improvements in energy saving technology are being put to good use is in the heating elements of electric blankets. According to Maleski, carbon fiber wires technology allows for a much more natural heating experience.
“A lot less bulky, you don’t feel the wires, better thermostats on them, it’s just a whole new ballgame with the electric blanket,” he said.
A new electric blanket makes a great gift for a family member or friend looking to save on energy costs, or you might even want to talk to them about switching energy providers, even offer them some help if they are unable to do so for themselves. A great gift for these holidays could be giving someone the opportunity to save more each month, with the likes of cheaper Reliant Energy rates, for example.
Written By: Ryan Saeler
