As winter and the holiday season approaches let us pass along Energy.Gov recommended ways to save on your energy bills: www.energy.gov/articles/12-days-energy-savings

Whether you are driving across town to do errands or across the country to visit family, fuel costs can add up over the holidays. One way to reduce fuel consumption is to empty your car after all your driving trips -- an extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could increase gas costs by up to $.08 a gallon.

From holiday lights to listening to Christmas carols on repeat, the holidays can take a toll on your home’s energy consumption. Even when you are not using lights and electronics, they still draw small amounts of energy -- at an average cost of $100 a year for American households. Plug your electronics into a power strip and turn it off to reduce your energy bills.

When decking your house in holiday lights, use timer controls to lower energy consumption and save money. Timer controls allow you turn lights on and off at specific times, while staying in the holiday spirit.  

This holiday, light up your home with LED lights. In addition to being sturdier and more resistant to breakage, LED holiday lights also last longer and consume 70 percent less energy than conventional incandescent light strands. It only costs $0.27 to light a 6-foot tree for 12 hours a day for 40 days with LEDs compared to $10 for incandescent lights. 

Between holiday baking and meal preparation, your oven is probably working overtime. Cooking alone accounts for 4.5 percent of your home’s energy use, and when factoring in other kitchen appliances, your kitchen’s energy use can be as high as 15 percent. By taking simple actions in the kitchen-- like using the right-sized pots on stove burners to save about $36 annually for an electric range or $18 for gas, and using the oven light to check on a dish’s progress to prevent heat loss instead of opening the door -- you can entertain in style without raising your energy bill.

If you are buying gifts that require batteries, consider purchasing rechargeable batteries -- which are more cost effective than disposable batteries -- and an ENERGY STAR charger for them. In the U.S. alone, more energy-efficient battery chargers could save families more than $170 million annually. 

Are computers, TVs or other electronics on your wish list this holiday season? Be sure to ask for ENERGY STAR home electronics for instant energy savings. Depending on usage, an ENERGY STAR computer can save 30-65 percent more energy compared a computer without this designation.

Use sunlight to your advantage this winter. Open curtains during the day to allow sunlight to naturally warm your home, and close them at night to reduce the chill from cold windows.

It isn’t the holidays without a crackling fire, but don’t let your energy bills go up with the smoke. Proper chimney maintenance -- like sealing your fireplace flue damper, caulking around your hearth, and installing tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system to blow warmed air back into the room -- will help keep warm air in your house and cold air out.

Don’t pay for warm air that you are not using.  Lowering your thermostat 10-15 degrees for 8 hours can save 5-15 percent a year on heating bills. If you are traveling this holiday, be sure to lower your thermostat for energy savings. 

This holiday, give the gift of energy savings by purchasing a professional home energy audit for someone. A home energy audit helps you pinpoint where your home is losing energy -- and what you can do to save money -- by checking for air leaks, inspecting insulation, surveying heating and cooling equipment and more. By making upgrades to your home following a home energy audit, you could save 5-30 percent on your energy bills.
 

For more winter money saving energy tips go to:  www.energy.gov.

About Starion Energy 

Starion is a licensed electricity and gas supplier in the deregulated energy market since September 2009.  Energy deregulation gives consumers the choice of an alternative electric supplier and determines the rates and terms at which they purchase electric generation services.  Starion services markets in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.  Starion is strategically positioned for continued growth in new markets for years to come.

For more information about Starion Energy, Inc., visit,  www.starionenergy.com