Holiday energy tips include LED lights

Switching to long-lasting and energy-efficient LED holiday lighting is the top seasonal savings and safety tip from NV Energy with Christmas two weeks away.

Such lighting, best known by the LED acronym that is short for light-emitting diode, also provides a safer way to decorate trees or do outdoor displays, according to the utility. It is particularly helpful in saving some energy and money when combined with a timing device to turn lights off automatically during daylight hours and late at night, the utility states.

“Be sure you’ve got a timer,” said Karl Walquist, an NVE spokesman in the Reno office. “I think another important thing to remember is Christmas lights won’t add a lot to a customer’s bill.”

Energy consultant Chad Piekarz, also associated with NVE’s Reno office, said the LED lights on trees or in displays run cooler and therefore are safer and, even though they cost more initially, they last longer.

“You’re going to get a lot more use out of them,” he said. “They do use a fraction of the wattage, so you will experience some savings.”

Another holiday-lighting-season tip is avoidance of overloading electrical circuits. That includes checking fuses or circuit breaker panels to see what your home can handle, then avoiding the temptation to string more than three sets of lights together while plugging them into a single outlet.

NV Energy has other energy-saving tips atnvenergy.com/home/saveenergy/energytips.cfm.