Holiday and Vacation Energy Saving Tips

Between office parties, gift exchanges and travel, the holidays can get expensive. It’s also not unusual for electric bills to spike as we turn on our heaters and leave the holiday lights on around the clock. But believe it or not, one of the places that you can cut costs during the holiday season is your electric bill.

1. Use LED lights to decorate.
Decorate your office tree with LED lights this year. LEDs have several advantages over traditional incandescent lights; most impressive is they only use 1/10th of the electricity of typical lights. Also, LED lights don’t emit heat, making them safer, more durable and longer lasting than incandescent bulbs.

2. Install timers or motion sensors on lights.
Installing timers or motion sensors on lights around the office is another great way to save money and electricity. You can program timers to turn lights off at a certain time or use motion sensors to turn on lights only when movement is detected in a room. If you leave your office or holiday lights running throughout the night, you could be adding more than 50 dollars to your energy bill for the month.

3. Unplug electronics and appliances.
Right now there are probably more than 10 appliances plugged in around your office that you aren’t using or haven’t even used today, like a toaster in the break room or the printer, computer, and phone plugged in at an empty office. On average, 75% of the energy used to power electronics and appliances is consumed when they are plugged in but not in use.

4. Give your heater a break.
Dress warm even when you’re inside and turn the thermostat down to 68 degrees or lower. Every degree that you lower the heat below 70 degrees will save you up to 5% on heating costs.

In addition to following these tips, Pieper can help you save more. We can make sure your electrical system is running efficiently and electrical components are in proper working order. Give us a call to learn how installing a power factor correction unit or getting a power quality check-up can save you money come bill time. And don’t forget, should any problems with your electrical system occur during the holidays, Pieper is on call 24/7 for all of your electrical needs.