The festive season is here and it’s a time for family, food and fun, but with the country currently facing an energy crisis, it’s time to look at ways to save energy so we aren’t forced to have a candlelit Christmas dinner.

Choose energy efficient decorations

We’ve all passed at least one house in our lifetime that’s clad from top to bottom in colourful Christmas lights. If you are the proud owner of that house you may want to consider switching to LED Christmas lights.

This is because LED lights use 90% less electricity than regular Christmas lights. You may also want to consider using fibre optic decorations or trees. In most cases they use a single light bulb in the base of the unit to light the entire decoration.

Cook cleverly

We’re all undoubtedly going to overindulge a little when it comes to the kitchen but keeping the gorge off the energy is not an impossible feat.

If you’re going to be baking, it’s a good idea to bake several dishes at once. This is because it takes the same amount of energy to heat a full oven as it does a nearly-empty one, so save yourself time and energy and get it all done at once.

When it comes to smaller cooking tasks, use the microwave or toaster and give the stove or oven a break. If you are cooking on the stove keep the lids on your pots. This will allow your food to cook faster meaning less time on the stove and less energy used.

Click here to read Part 2.