Energy-Efficient Ways to Decorate Your Home for the Holidays

Now these days, everyone is trying to save any little bit of money they can. With the holidays around the corner, people are decorating their houses festively and grandiosely, but all that decorating can end up costing quite a fortune. So why not decorate you house in a way that is cost-efficient and energy efficient, so it benefits both you and the environment?

I just finished decorating my home recently, and I am quite pleased with the results. Every year we've opted out on decorating the exterior with lights, one because of the amount of electricity that it would use and that would also add to our electric bill, and two, for safety reasons. I came across solar-powered LED Christmas string lights that you can hang on hedges, trees, and off of roofing. What is great about these is that they are driven by energy from the sun which they garner during the day hours and at night they automatically sense the change and activate the Christmas lights. Once the sun rises, the lights automatically turn off on their own which is very convenient. The ones I am using have stakes at the end with solar panels which you secure in the ground in a well-lighted area to charge. I decorated the hedges around my house with these and they look great. Since they are primarily made for outdoor use and do not need to be plugged into an electric outlet, I feel much safer using these. I purchase a 50 count light string from my local target for around $16, which seems pricey at first, but if you consider that this doesn't use any of your electricity and has a three year warranty, then the price is not that bad anymore.

These solar-powered LED innovations also come in individual stake forms such as candy canes and snowmen. I've seen them sell for around $12 each. I purchased some floral looking ones for $10 a piece and at night they interchange colors adding an extra festive touch to my home's outdoor décor.

For the interior of the home I purchased a "Merry Christmas sign that secures onto a front window by suction cups. Although it is not solar-powered, it is made up of LED bulbs which use 80% less energy than a light-up sign that uses regular light bulbs. You can also use LED bulb sting lights to hang on your tree which can save up 65% in energy costs. I've seen these sell for around $6 a box. They also come in different sizes and holiday shapes such as mini snowflakes. Some cities, like mine, even offer a trade-in at their city hall or neighborhood hardware stores where you can bring in your old regular Christmas string lights and trade them in for a new LED bulbs set.

These are just a few suggestions, and of course you could always opt out in not decorating your house with lights at all, but if you decide too, these tips will definitely save you money, time, and energy!