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

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-resou
        rces.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

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