Seasonal Energy Policy Guidelines

Did you know that the National Fire Protection Agency reports 790 fires involving other holiday decorations and an average of 160 fires involving Christmas trees each year?

Pay attention to the following holiday electrical safety advice to keep yourself off of this list:

• Each year, look over the holiday decorations.

• Choose a fake tree that can withstand a fire.

• Only three light strings should be linked at the same time.

• Keep Electrical Outlets Clear

• Before going to bed or leaving the house, holiday decorations should be taken down.

• We'll go through these recommendations in greater detail to address any concerns you may have about electrical safety during the holiday season.

Each year, look over the holiday decorations.

Like most people, you likely store your Christmas decorations in a box in January, taking them out only after Thanksgiving. When plugging in any Christmas decorations, be sure they are in working order because they can gradually deteriorate and become damaged.

Be cautious of broken light fixtures, frayed or worn-out cords, and damaged electrical plugs. Although these products might appear safe, they might easily spark a fire if they were inadvertently positioned adjacent to anything combustible, including rugs, paper ornaments, or even a dry Christmas tree.

Choose a fake tree that can withstand a fire.

Make sure to buy a fire-resistant artificial Christmas tree if you use one.

If you decorate an older artificial tree every year, you should update it to a newer, safer tree because the flammability criteria for fake trees were raised in 2010.

This holiday season, it's a good idea to examine the safety certificates of any electronic decorations you use and inspect your tree for a fire-resistant mark. Electronic decorations should be certified by a safety agency like Underwriters Laboratories to ensure they don't present unnecessary fire risks.

There should only be three light strings linked at once.

If it isn't stated on the package, connect up to three holiday light strands to decorate your house or tree. More than three sets of lights connected in series could cause a circuit to short out, depending on the capacity of your socket.

Consider buying Christmas lights with LED bulbs if you want to use more lights. You may connect more strands thanks to LED lighting' lower energy consumption without putting too much pressure on your outlets. In addition, LED lights outperform traditional string light bulbs in terms of lifespan, energy efficiency, and heat output.

By the way, if you're using lights to adorn the outside of your home, the same advice still applies. Be sure the lights are intended for outdoor use before hanging them.

Keep Electrical Outlets Clear

Similar to how using too many Christmas lights can overload an outlet and blow a circuit, using too many high-wattage holiday decorations can do the same. Please put them on a power strip with a circuit breaker instead.

Moreover, pay attention to where electrical cords are placed. Electrical cords shouldn't be run under carpets or furniture because if they overheat, they could burst or get restricted.

Before going to bed or leaving the house, holiday decorations should be taken down.

Before you leave the house or before you go to bed, make sure your holiday decorations are taken down. When you're home, leaving your decorations on raises the possibility that a spark may start a destructive fire.

By taking down your decorations, you'll make it more likely that any fire that starts while you're gone (whether brought on by your neighbor's lights or other factors) can be put out quickly