National Grid offers energy saving tips for safe and festive holiday lighting

Save big and be safe this holiday season by focusing on energy efficiency

With the holiday season officially upon us, it's important to make time to celebrate with family and friends - and holiday lighting is a key part of those festivities. By following a few simple tips, customers can benefit from a more environmentally friendly, safe and cost-effective way to light up the holiday season.

One of the best solutions for holiday decorating needs is the use of light-emitting diode lighting. These energy-efficient miniature or LED lights have definite advantages over traditional lighting because they use 90 percent less energy, which results in significant savings.

"The cost of LED lights is more than traditional lights, but the benefits truly outweigh that," said Edward White, vice president of customer and business strategy for National Grid. "By using more advanced, energy efficient lighting solutions like LEDs for holiday decorating, customers will start saving on electricity immediately, and also save on future lighting purchases, because LED lights are much more durable and last years longer than traditional lights."

Traditional lighting only offers around1,500 hours of light and can fade or flake over time. LEDs, meanwhile, feature epoxy lenses that make them almost indestructible so they last much longer, providing up to 100,000 hours of light. In addition, LED's are much safer to use because, unlike traditional lights that can get hot and pose a fire hazard, LED light bulbs always stay cool.

Additional tips to save energy and stay safe this holiday season:

• Limit the time that lights are on. Wait until dark to turn on your holiday lights, and then turn them off before you go to bed. Six hours or less of daily use is a good goal.

• Turn off room lights when the tree is lit. The lights on a holiday tree should provide more than enough lighting to navigate around the room.

• Make sure your lights have a safety listing from a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as the Underwriters Laboratories (UL). A safety approval seal means the lights have been tested and are safe to use. Use lights only as intended. Always unplug your lights before going to bed or leaving home.

• While reading labels, be sure to buy the right set for indoor use, outdoor use, or both.

• Before decorating, check all light sets for frayed wires, damaged sockets, or cracked insulation. If any defects are found, replace the entire set.

• All outdoor cords, plugs and sockets must be weatherproof. Keep electrical connections off the ground, and make sure wiring is kept clear of drainpipes and railings to prevent any risk of shock. It's also a good idea to use a ground-fault circuit interrupter on each circuit. If current leaks through frayed or damaged wires, the interrupter will shut off the lights.

• Don't overload electrical circuits. Circuits in older homes carry a maximum of 1,800 watts each while many newer homes can handle 2,400 watts.

About National Grid

National Grid is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. The company is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges facing society: to create new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and develop an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century. National Grid holds a vital position at the center of the energy system and it "joins everything up."

In the northeast U.S., National Grid connects more than 7 million gas and electric customers to vital energy sources, essential for modern lifestyles. National Grid delivers electricity to more than 3 million customers in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in northeastern U.S., serving more than 3 million customers in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

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