With the holidays almost upon us and with lots of shopping and decorating to do, cutting costs and energy savings where you can should be at the top of your wish list, too. Union Power now offers a new tool, the Holiday Lighting Calculator, that will help members save on energy costs this holiday season.

The Holiday Lighting Calculator helps to determine monthly energy costs from converting your traditional incandescent Christmas lights to LED bulbs — calculating savings based on the number of strings used and the total hours used per day. With this new tool, members can make smart energy decisions while shopping for Christmas lights, reduce the energy impacts on their electricity bills, and brighten their holiday celebrations.

In addition to using our Holiday Lighting Calculator, you might consider the following tips:

1Limit Light Time.
Put your lights on a timer. Few holiday-goers are out and about during the wee hours of the morning. Be sure to use a durable Christmas lights timer that is made to withstand the elements. Install it in a place that is easy to access so you can make changes as the days get even shorter.

2Choose Energy-Efficient Lights.
You might consider going LED. Though a bit pricier than traditional Christmas lights due to a more complicated manufacturing process, they use 80-90% less energy than incandescent bulbs and have a longer lifespan.

3Shorten the Season.
Consider when you put your lights up. Many people keep their lights up for well over a month, but each household is different. Take a look at your budget to decide what time frame works for you—putting them up a week later than usual and taking them down by New Year’s may be the way to go.