Tame Holiday Costs with Frugal Fun, Energy-Efficient Lighting, Gifts, Road Trip Tips, Advises Alliance to Save Energy

Tame Holiday Costs with Frugal Fun, Energy-Efficient Lighting, Gifts, Road Trip Tips, Advises Alliance to Save Energy

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The difficult economy and concerns about home and vehicle energy costs need not dim your holiday cheer this winter. Frugal, fun, and more Energy-efficiency holiday tips from the Alliance to Save Energy can take the "chill" out of the holiday season by lowering home and vehicle energy bills as well as pollution and greenhouse gas emissions:

-- Holiday travel. "Over the River and through the Woods to Grandmother's
House We Go" often means either a road trip to get there or a rental
car upon arrival. The Alliance's Drive $marter Challenge website
offers road trip tips
(http://drivesmarterchallenge.org/money-saving-tips/Default.aspx) and
resources
(http://drivesmarterchallenge.org/money-saving-tips/fuel-efficient-res
ources.aspx) such as links for a customized map showing where to find
the cheapest gasoline along your travel route as well as information
on renting fuel-efficient vehicles and public transportation at your
destination.
-- Honey, what you mean you got me insulation for my holiday present?
There's some good news this holiday season. You can make home
improvements that keep your family toasty -- and get a tax credit to
boot. Add insulation, sealing, high-efficiency windows and a number of
other efficient products and not only reduce your monthly energy bills
but also save up to $1,500 on your federal income taxes for certain
improvements. Details at www.ase.org/taxcredits.
-- Be an "ENERGY STAR" with energy-saving presents. Electronics, home
office equipment, appliances and other products with the ENERGY STAR
label -- the federal government's symbol of energy efficiency -- not
only make great holiday gifts but can also cut related home energy
bills up to 30 percent. More potential good news: check out state and
municipal energy efficiency incentives and rebates being made
available in your area as part of the federal stimulus package as well
as rebates from energy companies and product manufacturers.
-- Lower operating costs and increase safety with LED holiday lights. LED
technology (Light Emitting Diode) for holiday lighting is a smart
choice. LEDs use 10 times less energy than incandescent mini-lights
and 100 times less energy than standard bulbs, last more than 50,000
hours, are safer because they're virtually indestructible and stay
cool -- which means they're safe to the touch and eliminate fire
concerns. They are easily strung and don't overload a typical
household's electrical circuits. If the bulb does burn out, the other
bulbs will stay lit, so you can easily replace only the bad one.
-- To further maximize holiday lighting savings, use timers to limit
light displays to no more than six evening hours a day. Leaving lights
on 24 hours a day will quadruple your energy costs -- and create four
times the pollution. And be safe -- untended incandescent lights can
cause fires, so always unplug your interior holiday lights before
going to bed or leaving the house.
-- In the spirit of Kwanzaa -- the African-American spiritual week of
remembering, reassessing, recommitting and rejoicing -- reassess your
power consumption, recommit to energy-efficient practices and rejoice
in the savings.
-- Once you've lit the Chanukah menorah, spin a dreidel by candlelight --
it uses no energy! By the eighth night, you may not need any electric
lights at all!
-- Unplug the video games and turn off the millionth broadcast of It's a
Wonderful Life -- and read your favorite holiday story instead. Your
children may appreciate your attention and time, and you will be
saving energy in the process.
-- Teach personal finance to your children in these difficult economic
times -- conduct a home energy audit together. Identify all the ways
you are needlessly wasting energy AND money in your home. Minor
changes can capture precious dollars that could be better spent for
other needs. Conduct a scavenger hunt together to locate "Energy
Hogs," and locate "Energy Vampires" that continue using energy when
idle/turned off.
-- Pay the local kids to shovel your driveway. Better to give them some
extra spending money than to use it towards the purchase of a
smog-producing, gas-guzzling snow blower.
-- No roasting chestnuts over an open halogen torchiere! It can burn hot
enough to cause a fire, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission. Instead, give yourself the gift of an energy-efficient
ENERGY STAR- certified torchiere lamp, for a brighter, thriftier,
safer holiday.
-- Strap on those cross-country skies or roller blades or ride your bike
to tour the neighborhood holiday decorations. It's a great way to work
off those extra holiday calories, and it will cut down on your
gasoline costs, too.

-- Instead of leaving your door open to carolers and losing all that
precious heat, pull on your parka, turn off the TV and electronics,
and join in the fun. It's a great way to meet your neighbors, too!

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy, and national security.

Source: Alliance to Save Energy

CONTACT: Rozanne Weissman of Alliance to Save Energy, +1-202-530-2217,
rweissman@ase.org

Web Site: http://www.ase.org/

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