Holiday Lights & Math Lead to Those WOW Moments at Bridgeway Academy Yarmouth

Some people love the energy around the holiday season but did you know we waste a lot of energy during the holidays too? Yes, when we use old inefficient incandescent lights we waste a lot of energy! There is one easy way you can use less energy this holiday season, and save some money too! LED lights have been around for years now, and they use a lot less energy than the old incandescent. Have you ever wondered what the difference looks like in dollars and cents?

On a recent visit to Yarmouth’s Bridgeway Academy, students and staff were checking their math twice as they worked through a few calculations to see how much energy is consumed by different holiday lights. One staff member was heard saying, “Wait, that cannot be right, let me check your math.” After a quick confirmation that the math was done perfectly, he protested: “There has to be a catch or trick, there can not be that much difference!” The savings is so large that it really is unbelievable how much money and energy is wasted when you use those old large incandescent lights rather than the large LED lights. There’s a better way, you better believe it!

What folks want to know is how much energy and money is wasted. Well, you can do the math yourself or with a classroom by using our Let’s Compare Holiday Lights Activity.  Are you heading out to pick up some new lights right now? You’ll want to know! Well, if we make the assumptions that you use 400 lights on the outside of your house and have them on for 6 hours a day for 30 days you save almost $75 dollars in one season! So with the LED lights you only pay 65 cents for the whole holiday season rather than $75.60 for the whole holiday season. I know unbelievable but there is no trick, that is the power of energy efficiency!

What to learn more ways to save? Explore Four Ways to Save Energy While Hosting Holiday Guests, thanks to Efficiency Nova Scotia.