The holiday season typically means more energy use. Cooler weather, increased heating, holiday lighting, guests, and extra cooking all push a home’s energy demand up at the same time. The result appears on the first bill of the new year, when heating costs, lighting costs, and cooking loads arrive together. Most of that increase is avoidable with adjustments that take minutes rather than renovations.
Understanding where the extra power goes is the first step. The holiday lighting energy costs explained guide works through wattage calculations and money-saving strategies, and it shows why lights are only part of the story. This article covers ten practical ways to save energy during the holidays, from thermostat scheduling to wiring-level improvements, using guidance from energy efficiency experts who advise households on seasonal demand.
Adjust Heating First: It Is the Largest Bill Line
Heating is the single largest contributor to a monthly power bill, and it rises further during the winter holidays because of temperature drops and more activity in the house. Optimizing the heating schedule keeps a home cozy for holiday gatherings without driving up energy costs. The same habits that help tighten homes and lower utility bills start here, with the schedule and the layout of the house rather than the equipment.
Schedule Setbacks Around Guest Arrivals
Program the thermostat to slightly lower temperatures overnight or when the house is empty, and set it to warm up just before guests arrive. A typical schedule drops the setpoint from 70°F to 64°F at 10 p.m. and returns to 70°F by 7 a.m. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that an 8-hour setback of 7°F to 10°F can save about 10 percent on annual heating costs, and a home empty for a week of travel can run an even deeper setback.
Lower the Thermostat While Cooking
Set the thermostat lower during meal preparation and let the oven and other appliances help maintain the indoor temperature. A three-hour holiday meal at 350°F releases enough heat to lift the kitchen several degrees, so a 2°F to 3°F reduction on the thermostat goes unnoticed while the oven runs. The same logic applies after baking: leave the oven door closed until the interior cools, then let that heat warm the room.
Close Doors and Vents in Unused Rooms
Close the doors to unused rooms to direct warmth where it is needed most, and close the vents in those rooms as well. A guest bedroom that stays shut for the week does not need conditioned air circulating through it. If a room has a return vent, leave the door open a few inches so pressure imbalances do not pull cold air under the door from the hallway.
Install a Smart Thermostat for Automatic Setbacks
Analog or digital thermostats that cannot be scheduled leave temperature control to whoever remembers to change it. A smart thermostat automates the setbacks, learns when the house is occupied, and adjusts when guests change the routine. Homeowners who follow the holiday energy saving tips from renovation professionals usually pair the thermostat with the lighting and plug-load fixes in the sections below for a combined effect.
Realistic Savings From Automation
Energy Star data puts smart thermostat savings at about 8 percent of heating and cooling costs, which works out to roughly $50 per year for a typical home. The number grows when the thermostat is programmed for gatherings: warmer when guests arrive, cooler overnight, and back to a daytime setpoint after the house empties. Many models report monthly run time, which makes it easy to spot a furnace working harder than it should.
Compare the Quick Wins
The table below compares the ten adjustments in this article by seasonal impact, upfront cost, and effort. The low-cost items deliver most of the benefit, which is why they belong at the top of the list.
| Action | Seasonal Impact | Upfront Cost | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermostat setback of 8 hours | About 10 percent of heating bill | $0 | 5 minutes |
| Smart thermostat | About 8 percent of HVAC cost | $100 to $250 | 1 hour |
| LED holiday lights | 75 to 90 percent less lighting energy | $10 to $30 per string | Swap in place |
| Lighting timers | Cuts overnight running hours | $10 to $20 each | Plug in |
| Power strips | 5 to 10 percent of electric bill | $10 to $30 | Plug in |
| Smart plugs | $10 to $25 per season | $15 to $40 each | Plug in |
| Oven-assisted heating | 2 to 5 percent of heating bill | $0 | Thermostat change |
| Fireplace closed up | Avoids a 24,000 BTU per hour loss | $0 | Habit change |
Switch to LED Lights and Add Lighting Timers
Holiday lighting is the most visible energy use in December and one of the easiest to cut. The nine-step approach to lowering utility bills across the whole house puts lighting near the top, because the swap pays for itself within a single season.
LED Bulbs: The Wattage Difference
A 100-bulb string of incandescent mini lights draws about 40 watts, while the LED equivalent draws about 5 watts. Running six hours per night for 30 nights, the incandescent string uses 7.2 kWh and the LED string uses 0.9 kWh. At $0.16 per kWh, that is $1.15 versus $0.14 per string per month. A house with ten strings saves about $10 a month, and LED strings run cool enough to reduce fire risk on dry trees and rooflines.
Timers Keep Lights Off When Nobody Sees Them
Lighting timers turn displays off at a set hour instead of running until sunrise. Plug-in timers cost $10 to $20 and handle a single outlet, while outdoor models rated for wet locations manage roofline strings and yard displays. The timer pays for itself in the first season of use.
Choose Timer Settings That Match Daylight
Set the timer to match actual viewing hours: on at dusk, off at 10 p.m. on weeknights, and off at 11 p.m. on weekends. Some timers include a photocell that skips daylight hours automatically, which matters on short December days when lights would otherwise run through the afternoon.
Change Cooking Patterns, Skip the Fireplace, and Stop Phantom Power
Energy-saving technologies installed in buildings range from insulation to appliance controls and efficient equipment, but behavior changes deliver immediate results with no installation cost. Three habits matter most during the holidays: cooking patterns, fireplace use, and standby power.
Cooking Smarter During the Big Meal
Run the oven for multiple dishes at once and keep the door closed while baking; every opening drops the interior temperature by about 25°F and extends cook time. Use the microwave, slow cooker, or air fryer for sides that do not need the oven. Match pot sizes to burner sizes so heat goes into the pan rather than the room, and put a lid on boiling pots.
The Fireplace Trade-Off
A wood-burning fireplace pulls warm room air up the chimney. Estimates place the loss near 24,000 BTU per hour, comparable to the output of a small furnace. For gatherings, a fire adds ambience, but when the room empties the warm air keeps leaving. Keep the damper closed when the fireplace is not in use, and use glass doors to limit the draw while a fire burns.
Phantom Power and the Devices That Never Sleep
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that standby power accounts for 5 to 10 percent of residential electricity use. Cable boxes, game consoles, phone chargers, and smart speakers draw power even when they appear to be off. During the holidays, extra devices such as streaming sticks and guest-room chargers add to the total.
Power Strips and Smart Plugs
Plug entertainment centers and computer setups into power strips and switch them off at night or when the house is empty. Smart plugs schedule the same shutoff automatically from a phone app. A simple holiday routine:
- Plug the television, sound bar, and streaming box into one power strip.
- Switch the strip off when the room stays empty for more than an hour.
- Put the router on a smart plug that cuts power from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. when nobody needs it overnight.
- Unplug chargers that sit warm all day, including the ones in the kitchen and garage.
- Check the garage for a second refrigerator or freezer running through the month.
Use Low-Energy Decorations and Check the Wiring
Decorations extend beyond the tree, and each one has a low-energy version. Battery-operated LED candles replace wax candles without heat or flame. Projector lights cover a roofline with a fraction of the wattage of string lights. Solar path lights charge by day and run free at night. A single 20-watt LED spotlight on a porch does the work of several 100-watt floodlights.
Low-Energy Decorations for Windows, Trees, and Porches
The wiring side matters too. Energy-saving sole plates with wiring grooves show how a small building detail improves insulation performance, and the same thinking applies to holiday wiring: use extension cords rated for outdoor use, avoid daisy-chaining power strips, and check for cords that feel warm to the touch, which signals an overload.
Monitor Unused Power Across the Whole Month
Compare the December bill with November’s. A spike larger than the lighting and cooking additions suggests something is running when it should not be: a space heater in a guest room, a pool pump on a winter schedule, or a second refrigerator in the garage. Walk the house once a week and shut down anything unneeded.
The ten adjustments work together. Heating schedules and a smart thermostat handle the largest line item, LEDs and timers cut the visible waste, and power strips stop the silent draw. Homes ready to go further can pair air-sealing work with sole plate wiring grooves and air sealing for better wall performance, which reduces the heating load at the source and makes every thermostat and lighting fix more effective. Holiday bills do not have to be the highest of the year.