Everyone has a little Clark Griswold in them, but most can agree the National Lampoon’s character could’ve benefited from taking it down a notch or two. While it may be Christmas tradition to make your house shine bright, limiting the lights would make a major contribution to the cause.
Try keeping it to just the Christmas tree this year, perhaps with a few electric candles in the windows. But if you can’t live without the huge light display, try switching to energy-efficient LED lights. Energy Star suggests that LEDs use up to 90 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs to produce the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer. LEDs don’t get as hot as traditional lights, either, lowering the risk of fire, and if one bulb goes out, the rest of the string still works. And they last longer. Also, set lights on a timer to save energy.