Winter Holiday Preparation Guide

You may find that the holiday season can have a big impact on your utility bill. Between holiday cooking, winter break, hosting guests, and holiday decor your energy and water consumption is likely to go up without you even realizing it. That's why we've put together a list of top tips for conserving energy and water during the holiday season.

• Winterizing Your Home
• Conserve While Cooking
• Decorating Tips
• Traveling and Receiving Guests
• Gift Giving

Winterizing Your Home

• It’s best to think about protecting your house before cold weather hits. While you may live in the Sunshine State, our temperatures can hit freezing during the winter months. And if there is a freeze, your pipes have a higher chance of bursting. Become informed on how to prevent and thaw frozen pipes.
  
• When the outdoor temperature is significantly cooler or warmer you usually see a significant increase on your utility bill. While we use more energy cumulatively in the summer months, we actually use the most energy in a single occurrence during the cold winter days. Learn how weather can affect your bill.
  
• Manage the heat strip in your HVAC unit. It consumes three times as much energy as a conventional heat pump when in use. If you aren’t familiar with heat strips, check out this video.
  
• Consider using space heaters in occupied spaces as a “spot heater” and turn down the thermostat to avoid the costs of heating your entire home. While using them, keep these safety tips in mind.                   
• Fireplaces are nostalgic and can set a cozy mood but they can also create drafts of cold air within the home causing the homeowner to use more electricity. If your fireplace is not in use, remember to close the flue with a damper to prevent cold air from coming down into your home.
  
• When temperatures first start to dip in autumn, it’s a great time to air seal around windows, doors and other leak points. We suggest scheduling a free Efficiency Assessment. A JEA representative will conduct a walk through inspection of your home to determine where improvements can be made both in behavior and in new equipment. They may suggest boosting your attic insulation if it is under an R-38 level.
  
• Have your local HVAC professional tune-up your system before the winter heating season begins. 

Conserve While Cooking

• Turkeys and hams are typically slow roasted for many hours - there’s no need to preheat your oven.
• Fill the oven with as many items that can be cooked at one time.
• Opening the oven door lowers the temperature inside by as much as 25 degrees, increases cooking time, and heats up your kitchen. Instead, look through the oven window if you have one.
  
• Use a microwave oven to cook smaller dishes quickly and efficiently. Microwaves use 50 percent less energy than conventional ovens and they don’t heat up the kitchen.
• Slow cookers, or crock-pots, also are an efficient option. They can cook a whole meal for about $.17 worth of electricity.
• Instead of cooking in the oven, use outdoor grills or smokers when the weather is nice to save energy.
• When cooking on top of the range, match the size of the pan to the heating element. Clean burners and reflectors provide better heating while saving energy.
• Use lids while cooking with pots and pans to prevent heat loss. 
• Do not put aluminum foil in the bottom of your oven to catch spills, etc. This blocks the heat that the oven elements are trying to radiate. It can also void your oven’s warranty if case there is a problem.
• Consider investing in Energy Star-qualified appliances which consume 10–50 percent less energy and water than standard models. You can save more money on utilities than you spent on the new appliance.
• If you are frying food, recycle your used cooking oil which can be turned into biodiesel. You can deposit used cooking oil at any one of the 21 participating Jacksonville Fire & Rescue stations.
• Read the American Red Cross's tips on preventing home fires.  
• Unattended cooking causes nearly 90 percent of all kitchen fires. Learn more home fire facts.  
• Never use an oven to heat your home. 

Decorating Tips

• LED Holiday lights are a great option. They use far less energy than conventional string lights, have a longer lifespan, and operate at a much lower temperature, reducing the risk of fire.
• Check lights for frayed or bare wires and loose connections. Replace or repair any damaged light sets before using.
  
• Set timers for lights to automatically turn on when it gets dark and off in the middle of the night, depending on your preferences.
• Reflective ornaments and tinsel are just as bright at night, so getting creative with your lighting display can multiply your resources for shine.
  
• Never light candles near curtains, drapes or near any potentially flammable item. Also be sure to blow them out before you leave home or turn in for the night.
  

Traveling and Receiving Guests

• If you plan on traveling for the holidays, there are ways to save on energy when you are not home:
• If you are leaving for two or three days: Turn your thermostat down and your water heater off. Remember to turn them on immediately when you get back home.
  
• If you are leaving for four or more days: Consider turning your water main off unless other water consuming appliances (e.g. water softeners) may be negatively impacted. In the case that a pipe breaks, this will reduce your water consumption and your risk for flooding.
• If you are receiving out of town guests, keep track of your energy usage with JEA’s Utility Tracker.

Gift Giving

• Techie gifts are popular around the holidays. Before purchasing, investigate the best options that are also energy efficient.  
• Check out EnergyStar's Holiday Gift Guide for greener, more energy efficient gifts for the conservationist in your family!