For Immediate Release

For Further Information
Ronnie Kweller 202-530-2203 rkweller@ase.org

Washington, DC – Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, that produce light using the movement of electricity along the path of a semiconductor (a substance that can conduct a small electrical current), can keep the holiday spirit alive without unduly running up your electricity bill, says the Alliance to Save Energy – and you don’t need a degree in physics to reap their benefits!

According to the Alliance, a 60-bulb LED string consumes 80 percent less energy than a string of incandescent holiday lights and glows just as beautifully.

In addition, LEDs:

• Last more than 50,000 hours;
• Are “built tough” and long-lasting;
• Are safer to operate than incandescent holiday lights, as they stay cool and pose a lesser fire hazard;
• Don’t overload a typical household’s electrical circuits; and
• Are easy to replace – if one bulb burns out, the others stay lit.

The Alliance offers these additional ways to be frugal yet festive this holiday season and into the New Year:

• To further maximize holiday lighting savings, use timers to limit light displaysto no more than six evening hours a day. Leaving lights on 24 hours a day will quadruple your energy costs and create four times the pollution. And don’t forget to unplug your interior holiday lights before going to bed or leaving the house.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR – the federal government’s symbol of energy efficiency – on electronics, home office equipment, appliances and other products that can save up to 30 percent on related home energy bills. Find information on the more than 60 types of ENERGY STAR qualified products at www.energystar.gov.
• Spend some quality time with your children by conducting a home energy audit to identify where and how you might be wasting energy and money in your home. Take a scavenger hunt together to locate the “Energy Hogs” lurking in your home and look for the “Energy Vampires” that continue using energy even when turned off.  
• Find more home energy tips and information on both the Alliance’s new consumer website, LivingEfficiently.org, and the Energy Hog site.

####

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, the economy and national security.