If you compare your monthly electricity bills, you’ll likely notice an increase in the months of October through December. Several holiday celebrations occur during these months that can certainly boost the amount of electricity used in your home. Our pros at Huft Home Services in Sacramento have guidance on how to save electricity during the holiday months.
How Much Does Your Electric Bill Increase During the Holidays?
During the holiday season, your electric bill may show an increase of an extra $50 or $60 each month. The amount of the increase varies depending on how you celebrate the various holidays in October, November, and December.
Potential Reasons Why Your Electric Bill May Increase
One of the most common reasons for an increased electricity bill during the holiday months relates to outdoor decor. For Halloween, your household may set up outdoor decorations that light up or otherwise require electricity to operate. Or, perhaps you have an elaborate arrangement of Christmas lights as part of your celebrations in December. Maybe you leave those lights on all night, every night for the entire month. These two examples can certainly increase your electricity bill in October and December.
Indoor holiday lighting is another thing that can contribute to higher electricity bills during the holiday months. Maybe you like to put decorative lights on your mantle in October and leave them up until the first of January. Or perhaps you have a Christmas tree every year with electric lights that twinkle, adding extra joy to the season.
In November, your electricity bill may increase due to the extra use of your oven, stove, mixer, and other appliances. Preparing Thanksgiving dishes requires a lot of electricity from items in your kitchen. Many households prepare a similar meal in December at Christmastime.
Another reason for an increased electricity bill is a drop in temperatures in December. In our city, the daily temperature in December usually ranges somewhere between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on your family’s comfort level, you may use your furnace on colder days and nights during December or even November. If your furnace runs on electricity, this can contribute to any increase you see in your monthly bill.
The holiday season is a time to enjoy some fun with family and friends. Do you host a party or two during this time? If so, the extra amount of cooking combined with the lights and decorations all add to an electric bill.
There’s a good chance that you use your washing machine more during the holiday season. If you have guests staying over the holidays, you likely wash more bed linens and towels. Plus, guests who are staying at your house may use water for showers or washing their own clothes in your washer. This increases the amount of electricity your washer usually consumes in a typical month.
What Can You Do to Decrease Your Use of Electricity During the Holidays?
So, you like to go all out with your holiday celebrations, but you’d rather not have an increased electricity bill. Well, there are some things you can do to save electricity during the holiday season.
One idea is to use LED bulbs in your holiday lighting arrangements. LED bulbs use less electricity than traditional bulbs. So, you can still enjoy your holiday lighting without burning as much energy.
Another idea relates to the cooking done during the holidays. Consider cooking more items at the same time. For example, if you make three types of stuffing, cook all three pans in your oven at the same time. If you have a spare oven rack, put it into your oven so you can utilize even more space. Making small adjustments to the way you cook holiday meals can add up to savings on the electric bill.
Think about switching off the lights in your dining room and enjoying the meal by candlelight. Not only are you saving on your electricity bill, but you’re also creating a pleasant atmosphere for the holiday meal.
Using energy-efficient kitchen appliances can make a big difference in your electricity bill during the holidays. An appliance with an Energy Star sticker on it uses the least amount of energy to achieve its purpose. If you have older appliances, investing in some new ones can help you save money on the electricity bill year-round.
Getting a timer for your outdoor lights is another way to save on your energy bills during the holiday season. With all the holiday fun, it’s easy to forget to turn off the outdoor lighting before going to bed. Leaving them on all night can push up your electricity bill. But, if you have a timer, you can set it to turn the lights on and off at specific times. This helps you to save money while enjoying your holiday lights for a reasonable amount of time.
You may think that hand washing your holiday meal dishes is the most energy-efficient method, but it’s not. When you hand wash dishes, your water heater must continually burn electricity to heat the water. You can use a lot of hot water to hand wash dishes, especially if you have a dozen dinner guests. An Energy Star dishwasher can wash all of your holiday meal dishes without using more energy than absolutely necessary. Most importantly, you can avoid hand washing so many dishes!
If your Sacramento area home gets a little cooler than you’d like during the holiday months, consider a natural solution. You can increase the heat in a room by opening the curtains at the warmest time of the day. Or, if you like to keep your curtains closed, consider getting some in a lighter fabric. You can still enjoy warmth from the sunlight while maintaining a level of privacy. Warming your rooms with sunlight can help you avoid turning on the furnace each time the temperature drops.
How Can Our Team of Electricians Help Lower Your Monthly Energy Bills?
Since 2004, Huft Home Services has been serving the electrical needs of customers in Sacramento and the surrounding area. We provide quality electric panel upgrades for homes. When our knowledgeable electricians evaluate the electrical panel in your home, we can find ways to help you conserve energy. Of course, this can result in lower monthly electric bills. We check your panel to ensure it’s capable of providing the electricity you need during the holiday season and beyond!
Our team of electricians can upgrade older wiring, outlets, and switches in your home. Not only does an upgrade save energy, but it also gives you peace of mind about the safety of your electrical system.
If you want new indoor or outdoor lighting for your home, our team of electricians can handle the installation work. We can offer ideas if you aren’t sure what sort of design you’d prefer for the look of your home.
Our company also provides heating and cooling installations, maintenance, and repair services. If you need plumbing services we offer water heater repair, drain cleaning, sump pump maintenance, leak detection, and more. Our business has accreditation with the BBB and NCI certification.
For expert assistance with your electrical needs, contact Huft Home Services in Sacramento today!