Keep Your Hydro Bill Down with Outdoor Christmas Lights
That first hydro bill of November can be enough to make anyone's eyes widen. Once November hits, the days shorten and temperatures drop. That means indoor lights staying on for longer periods of time, and the heating system ramping up to top gear to keep the family warm. After all this, you have to add the cost of running your Christmas lights!
Thankfully, having a gorgeously illuminated home for winter doesn't have to be pricey. There are tons of energy saving tips you can use to keep your outdoor Christmas lights looking beautiful without breaking the bank. Christmas Décor Ottawa wants you to have the best of both worlds. Here are a few of our favourite tips for enjoying outdoor Christmas lights and remaining a friend to your budget and the environment.
The gift of LED
This is probably the easiest switch to make. Technology is constantly bringing in all kinds of energy-efficient innovations to help reduce our carbon footprints and our hydro bills. LEDs have been out for a while now, but up until recently, many homeowners were sceptical about the effectiveness of LEDs when weighed against the added cost of each new bulb.
Fortunately, Christmas Décor Ottawa knows that the initial investment in these bulbs will be returned tenfold in the long run. LED outdoor Christmas lights are going to look just as elegant as traditional bulbs, but they're going to last longer, use exponentially less energy, and therefore, bring your hydro bill down. In fact, LEDs can produce as much as 80-90% savings on your hydro bills – and that’s significant.
Use a timer
One of the biggest drains on your electricity is having your Christmas lights Ottawa run all night. Unlike regular Ottawa residential lighting, your outdoor Christmas lights are designed for aesthetics, not safety and security, and don't need to continue beaming bright way past the midnight hour.
Set your Christmas lights on a timer. A good time for the lights to switch off is around midnight. The timer will also take care of turning your lights back on at dusk the next day. Not only will this help make sure that your Christmas lights in Ottawa aren't running all night long, but they'll also make sure that they don't run during the day. It's easy to forget to switch off the lights in the morning before work, especially when they look so beautiful against the snow.
Make adjustments to your current system
If you already have landscape lighting, you'll probably need to make some adjustments to your current system when your Christmas lights are strung up. Trees that are traditionally lit by down lighting or a spot light can now be lit by outdoor Christmas lighting. Make sure to turn off those aspects of your regular landscape lighting that overlap or distract from your Christmas lights. Christmas Décor Ottawa can help you with the overall plan, and in deciding which fixtures need to be adjusted to match your holiday lighting display.
Don't wait until the last minute to get the most gorgeous Ottawa Christmas lights in town! Contact Christmas Décor Ottawa for your complimentary estimate today!
