Duke Energy Offers Holiday Lighting Energy Calculator, Other Winter Tips

News Release: Duke Energy December 2, 2014

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Before you deck the halls and transform your home into a festival of lights, calculate how your twinkling holiday displays will affect your winter energy bills.

Lighting displays are part of the timeless holiday decorating tradition, said Alex Glenn, state president, Duke Energy Florida. However, elaborate lighting displays can add significant costs to your energy bill. Estimate your energy costs before decorating and incorporate efficient, budget-friendly lighting options to save money during the holiday season.

Customers can estimate lighting costs using the holiday lighting energy calculator on Duke Energys website: http://www.duke-energy.com/lightscalculator.

Users can identify the type of lights, the number of 100-bulb strands and how many hours the lights will be used per day to estimate the energy cost per day and per month. Based on your selections, you can receive energy-efficient tips and options.

For example, six 100-bulb sets of large, incandescent bulbs (600 bulbs total) plugged in six hours every evening can add as much as $80 to a monthly power bill.

By comparison, six 100-bulb sets of similarly styled light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs would increase a monthly power bill by only about $7. Using six 100-bulb sets of mini-LED bulbs would increase a monthly power bill by only $1.

Winter efficiency reminders

Duke Energy is also offering tips for customers to reduce their winter heating bills.

The thermostat can be the biggest contributor of high winter bills, said Glenn. We encourage customers to select the lowest comfortable setting when theyre home, then lower the temperature a degree or two when they leave.

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Duke Energy Offers Holiday Lighting Energy Calculator, Other Winter Tips