JUNO BEACH, Fla. – Family feasts, visiting relatives and decorative lights can all result in increased energy use during the holidays, but you can still enjoy the season while keeping your electricity usage low. FPL, the nation’s top energy efficiency utility, offers weekly tips this holiday season to help customers conserve energy and save money.

So far, we’ve covered ways to conserve while cooking meals and heating your home. Our third installment will help you save – and stay safe – while decorating.

FPL’s Helpful Holiday Tips Part 3: Dazzling Decorating That’s Efficient and Safe

Energy efficiency is important, but safety is always our No. 1 priority at FPL. Have a happy and safe holiday with the following decorating tips:

• Use light-emitting diode (LED) lighting on your trees, menorahs or any lighted holiday displays to save up to 90 percent in energy consumption compared to traditional incandescent lights. LED holiday lights usually cost more to purchase than traditional lighting, but they can pay for themselves in savings on your electric bill.
• LED holiday lighting strands last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, and they don’t heat up like traditional bulbs so they reduce the risk of fire and injury.
• Supplement your holiday displays with ornaments such as wreaths, ribbons and other similar decorations that don’t consume energy.
• Set energy-consuming decorations, such as inflatable characters, on a timer to help you save.
• Always turn off decorative lights when you leave home or go to bed for safety.
• When decorating outdoors, always look up first. Before installing outdoor lights on trees, make sure tree limbs haven’t grown into or near electric lines, as they can become energized. Never raise ladders or other extended objects into or near power lines.
• Don’t place cords under rugs, appliances or other objects, as they may overheat if covered or become worn and cause a fire.
• Secure cords so that pets and toddlers are unable to play with them.
• Never use indoor lighting outside. Check the manufacturer’s label to be sure.
• And don’t forget to take down your lights and other decorations as soon as possible after the holidays!

 Visit www.FPL.com for more tips on how you can save energy in your home, during the holidays and throughout the year.

Florida Power & Light Company

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading employer in the state with nearly 11,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while customer bills are well below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and the No. 1 energy efficiency program among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.