x
Breaking News
More () »

Power To Save: Beating the Electric Bill Grinch

SCRANTON, Pa. — Holiday light displays are popping up in neighborhoods here and all across northeastern and central Pennsylvania. They look great but that...

SCRANTON, Pa. -- Holiday light displays are popping up in neighborhoods here and all across northeastern and central Pennsylvania.

They look great but that electric bill Grinch always catches up with us at the end of the month.

PPL Regional Affairs Director Alana Roberts has some ideas to help you lower your electric bill this holiday season.

"I think the first thing to do is when you're pulling your decorations out of storage to inspect them, so if you see any frayed wires, or broken bulbs, or loose connections, ditch those," Roberts advised.

Upgrading your older light displays with new ones will go a long way in lowering your electric bill.

"LED lights are 75 percent more efficient than incandescent bulbs. They last a lot longer because they are more durable, so they don't have any filaments that can break and they're safer because they don't heat up like incandescents," said Roberts. "One strand of LED lights will cost less than $1 to run for the whole season."

Another energy saving idea Roberts suggests is the use of a timer.

And those blinking bulbs aren't a bad thing.

"If your lights blink, I don't know if people know this, but if they blink at certain intervals that will also save money, too, so that's some additional savings," said Roberts.

If you don't want to deal with all the hazards that come with putting up lights all over your house, of using that extra energy, you can always come to a local park and enjoy the light display.

"They always do a fabulous job here in Nay Aug Park. I'll be here a few nights this winter myself," Roberts added.

Before You Leave, Check This Out