Essentially, there are only two approaches to reducing that monthly utility company payment - reduce energy consumption or produce your own energy. We'll keep getting shocked by large monthly energy bills if we keep purchasing electricity from the power company and throwing it away through sloppy energy habits.
Knowing where you want to use your lights is the crucial first step towards decorating your home with lights. Are the lights going outside or inside? Are they being used in a tree or to illuminate something in particular? Once you have a plan you can begin to measure up. Nothing causes more frustration than a set of lights that doesn't quite reach far enough or is to long and has been clumped together at one end. Use a tape measure or other measuring device to find out more or less the exact length and size of area that is going to be decorated with lights as this will help you choose enough lights or a string of lights that is the right length. It is also crucial that the electrical sockets being designated for the lights are included in the plan as their location and distance from the area being illuminated need to be factored in.The size of the bulbs and the lights themselves should also be considered early on. A very small tree lit up with very large light bulbs is not generally a great look and vice versa. If you are lighting up your house or an outside tree perhaps, you may want to choose lights that are fairly large as too small bulbs just won't provide much of an impact or dramatic Christmas effect. Sometimes a mixture of sizes can work very well for example the top of a Christmas tree can look good adorned with small, dainty bulbs whilst the bottom of the tree can look great with slightly larger bulbs with a more intense colour.When choosing lights, pay close attention to the wattage as nothing is worse than a constantly tripping power supply in the home. You don't want the lights to go off every time a toaster is put on or a hairdryer is used. Make sure there is enough electricity to go around with the addition of Christmas lights around the house. Christmas lights generally come in a series circuit or a parallel circuit. If you are using a large number of lights then a parallel circuit may be better to use as when one bulb goes out the remaining lights stay illuminated. With a series circuit when one light goes out, they all go out until the offending bulb is found and replaced.For example,for a child or teenager, you could take them out for the day to a theme park, bowling, cinema or one of the many games warehouses now available for parties and celebratory gatherings. You could throw a surprise party or go to the zoo for the day - or at least head out for some fish and chips and a big gooey cake! For older birthday celebrants, why not head out for a fun and wholly unsophisticated evening day at an amusements arcade, at the seaside or maybe a safari park. Think about the things you used to enjoy when you were young and take a step back in time to enjoy it all once again! Lose your stress for a day and enjoy a relaxing day of fun and laughter with ice-creams and chips depending on the weather, and then head to the pub later on for a few pints and to enjoy yourselves together. Or you could go upmarket and treat your lucky person to a smart day in the country and a posh lunch, focusing on fun and banishing all talk of work!LIGHTING.*** Always be certain to put a correctly sized pot on the stove top. Using a little pot on a big burner will simply be wasting the heat your stove is producing. Also, heat your content more quickly by placing a lid on your pot.Train your brain and test your intelligence with this fun game-with over 120 different puzzle teasers and questions designed to twist and test your brain in different ways! The logic and lateral thinking puzzles can be played alone or with a group of family members or friends - great for having some fun together and enjoying some good natured ribbing!*** Sleep mode on your personal computer saves energy, but your screen saver does not. Adjust your settings to begin saving electricity immediately.*** If possible, be sure to place your refrigerator away from the oven and dishwasher because the heat from these two appliances would only make your refrigerator work that much harder to stay cool.*** When adjusting the temperature in your house, refrain from setting your thermostat extra high or extremely low. An extreme setting won't change your house temperature any faster, and if you forget to reset the thermostat, you could end up wasting energy.IN THE KITCHEN.APPLIANCES.You can see your energy bills drop once you implement these easy ideas. These ideas don't take much time and for the most part don't cost anything, and you can begin to save on electricity right away.*** Before every new load, be sure to clean the lint out of your dryer's lint trap.The Brain Fitness Kit*** In locations that get a lot of use, like the kitchen and the bathroom, replace standard light bulbs with CFL light bulbs. These bulbs use much less energy and last as much as 10 times longer so while they cost a bit more on the front end, they will save on electricity over time.*** Other items that draw energy even when they are not in use are game consoles, such as Wii or Xbox 360.*** Save on electricity by turning off your central air conditioner and cooling on the rooms that you are using.If you're not a morning person, then getting up for work is never particularly pleasant! So why not lighten the mood a little with these excellent mood stamps - also wonderful for a celebration Sunday breakfast! These great stamps put two messages on your tasty toast- either a cheerful 'good morning' or a romantic 'I love you', for the ultimate in those small romantic gestures that warm your loved one's heart! These are fun gifts with a very sweet twist and will delight all who receive them! Just make that toast nice and hot and buttery! All you need to do is press the stamp into the bread and then pop it directly into the toaster, and the message will almost magically appear! Why not combine this lovely toast with a relaxing breakfast in bed with fresh coffee, juice and some lovely flowers to really treat them to a hotel like experience. You could even nip out and get their favourite newspaper to complete the treat!*** Battery charges for the gadgets in your life (such as your cell phone) consume energy even when they are not charging your equipment. Always unplugging the charger from the wall (not just the gadget) will reduce your level of electricity consumption.*** Reduce the thermostat setting on your water heater to 120 degrees and when you are going to be away for awhile, set the temperature "vacation" to really save on energy consumption.If the lights are going to be used outside, it is crucial that outdoor lights are purchased for this. Using lights that are designed for indoors for this purpose can be very dangerous indeed as rain and indoor electrical wires do not mix well. Furthermore, outdoor lights are tougher and will withstand bad weather conditions. Indoor lights would be much more likely to break when banged around in the wind or battered by the rain.*** Most lightly soiled clothing cleans up just fine in cold water, so wash in cold water whenever possible to reduce the demand on your water heater.TIP. . . You can plug several electronic items or appliances into a power strip and turn them off using the switch on the strip. This will cut the power completely without going through the trouble of unplugging everything.*** You can hang your clothes on a line and avoid the cost of running your dryer all together.*** Don't pre-wash your dishes by hand. Scrape off the food from your dirty plates and set the dishwasher to pre-rinse.Whilst your loved one enjoys their toast, why not have some laughs with fun gifts like the excellent Brain Fitness kit?HEATING and COOLING.Mood Toast StampsIndoor Christmas lights and outdoor Christmas lights are a great way to decorate the home at this time of year. By following the advice above, your home will look fantastic and undoubtedly get the neighbours talking! One final word of warning - If you are using a large number of Christmas lights to highlight your home, it may be wise to seek out the services of a professional electrician who will ensure everything is safe and functioning well.*** Every degree you lower your heater or raise your air conditioner will save on electricity.*** When it's not in use, close the damper on your fireplace. When your chimney is not in use, be sure to close its damper to ensure that heat does not escape your house.*** If you have a window installed air conditioner, either cover it or remove it from the window in the off season.*** Open the drapes to let heat into the house in the winter - it�s a great solar powered home energy saver!*** The more you open your refrigerator door the more this appliance needs to work to keep your food cold. Keep the door closed to minimize refrigerator run time.*** You can save energy by allowing the air in your home to circulate as it should, so be sure that your furniture is not blocking any air vents.
You can see your energy bills drop once you implement these easy ideas. These ideas don't take much time and for the most part don't cost anything, and you can begin to save on electricity right away.
Author: John P. Joseph
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