When the holidays roll around, families across the region pull out boxes of tinsel, plastic snowmen, garden gnomes, and, of course, lights. As you’re testing those endless strings of tiny lights, replace broken models with LEDs. A Consumer Reports study showed that LEDs cost slightly more than incandescent holiday lights, but cost far less to operate, and use a tiny fraction of the energy. The study showed that a 50-foot string of LEDs in the C9 size used only 3 kilowatt hours of electricity to produce 300 hours of light, compared with 105 kWh for incandescents of the same size, saving $11. Additionally, LEDs are brighter and more durable, last longer and operate at a cooler temperature.

For added energy & CO2 savings this holiday season, wrap your gifts in recycled wrappings. Wrap gifts in reusable fabric or cloth bags, or use newspapers, magazines, or old phone books. Reduce that post-holiday mound of discarded wrappings: reduce, reuse and recycle for very happy — and efficient — holidays.

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: $10 to $60 per string of LEDs depending on length and variety
Savings: Up to $11 per 50-foot string of lights per 300 hours of use.
Environmental Impact: An emissions reduction of about 154 lbs. of CO2 this holiday season alone!

How: Go to www.SouthCoastEnergy-Challenge.org to take the challenge and to learn more!
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