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If you love to decorate your home with lights for Christmas, here’s some festive inspiration to help you plan your lights this year.

 

1. Pick a theme

Having a theme can help you to plan ahead and tie all of your ideas together to make a big impact. As an example, you might choose Winter Wonderland if you love the icicle lights, faux snow and inflatable snowmen, inspired by Christmas in many parts of the northern hemisphere. 

You might prefer a Santa’s workshop theme to feature lots of colour and movement, or an Australiana theme if you want to make the most of your native landscaping or you could even pick a colour theme to help tie everything together.

 

2. Think safety first

When you’re planning your decorations, watch out for anything which could pose a safety risk. For example: 

  • Only use indoor and outdoor lights only in the locations they’re designed for.
  • Don’t use multiple power adaptors and power boards at the same time or stack them.
  • Watch out for trip hazards where people will be walking to enjoy your decorations.
  • Make sure you read and follow any manufacturer instructions for your decorations.
  • If you need to use ladders or work from heights while installing your decorations, take extra care and have safety precautions in place. 

 

3. Use what you have

To keep costs and waste to a minimum, try to use up what you have stashed away from Christmases gone by before you buy new decorations. You might be able to spruce up some older pieces or use them in a new way. 

Start with a quick audit of what you have and make sure your decorations are in good condition and safe to use. If you do need to replace anything, try to buy the most energy efficient version to use less energy. More on this next…

 

4. Switch to LED lights 

LED lights and strands are much more energy efficient than older incandescent style lights. In fact, incandescent lights could cost much more to run given they consume up to 90% more electricity when compared to LED lights.

 

5. Use a timer

It could be worth investing in a timer for your lights this year, if you don’t have one already. You can set your timer to automatically switch on and shut off your Christmas lights so they can be enjoyed during peak periods in the evening. By using a timer to switch off at a certain time each night, you’re also reducing the risk of accidentally leaving your lights on all night or during the day, which could add to your electricity costs.

 

6. Get creative

Christmas is about more than just bright lights. Reflective ornaments and tinsel can reflect light, so getting creative with your lighting display could help you amplify your decorations. You may even be able to reflect or mirror your neighbours’ lights with a string of silver bells on your railing.

 

7. Try solar lights

Solar powered lights can be an energy efficient way to highlight a special feature or decorate an outdoor space. If required you may also be able to connect solar lights to a battery back-up to increase power and life span. 

You can usually find a variety of Christmas-themed solar decorations in your local hardware store.

You might even want to consider installing your solar lights early, and then put up any traditional lighting closer to Christmas. This way, you get to celebrate early with solar lights and your lights display will only use electricity from the grid when your traditional lights are installed running.

By being conscious of your decoration choices, you could enjoy the festive season and better manage your electricity use. For more tips to help you take more control of your electricity use, try our Synergy Energy Tool.