Maitland residents have been encouraged to be energy efficient this Christmas.
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Ausgrid’s energy efficiency specialist, Robert Simpson, said small changes could greatly reduce power bills this festive season.
“We’re fortunate that our Christmas is during the summer months when nights are shorter, so there’s no need to have your lights on for a long time,” Mr Simpson said.
He suggested using solar powered lights which had zero impact on energy bills, or LED or fibre optic technology.
“A string of 100 LED lights is cheap to buy and cheap to run, adding only about 20 cents to your electricity bill when run for 10 hours each evening in the month before Christmas,” he said.
For example, 400 LED fairy lights will add about 80 cents to a power bill for the entire Christmas period, as opposed to $2.20 for non-LED types.
Residents can also leave lights on for four hours instead of 10, which gives a 60 per cent saving on running costs.
“Don’t forget other electrical decorations – like motorised spinning Christmas trees – which can use more electricity than Christmas lights if left on for long periods of time,” he said.
Ausgrid also reminds people to be mindful of fire safety when installing lights.
