Sweeten Your Valentine's Day with These Energy Saving Tips

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, many of us will purchase cards and chocolates, order bouquets of flowers, or make special dinner reservations. In the midst of all this spending, you can follow a few simple tips to enjoy the holiday, while actually saving money!

Tip 1: Set the Mood with Dimmable LEDs

Lighting provides one of the best tools for setting a room's mood. Just by dimming the lights, you can turn a typical dinner into a romantic meal for two. This year, use ENERGY STAR® certified LEDs to create the mood you want. Most ENERGY STAR certified LEDs are now compatible with universal dimmer switches, meaning you can create a warm glow, free of lights that flicker or hum. To find the bulbs best suited for your home, use Mass Save's Lighting Guide, and be sure to check the label to verify you have chosen dimmable bulbs.

Making this change will not only help create a more memorable night, but it will also help lower your energy costs. Compared to traditional bulbs, ENERGY STAR certified LEDs use up to 90% less energy and can last more than 20 times longer. Additionally, these bulbs use even less energy when they're dimmed. Consequently, you could save over $100 in energy costs over the lifetime of each LED bulb you use.

Tip 2: Cozy Up with an Advanced Power Strip

This Valentine's Day, you might find yourself cuddling on the couch with that special someone while you enjoy a romantic movie. Before the movie ends, you both may accidentally fall asleep, leaving the TV to consume energy while no one is watching it. If you plugged your TV into a tier 2 advanced power strip (APS), the unit would automatically power down when left idle. So while you'd still be left to ponder the fate of the movie's characters, you wouldn't experience the energy waste!

A tier 2 APS works by using two types of outlets: “controlled outlets” for commonly used devices, such as your television, and an “always-on outlet” for devices requiring constant power, such as your cable modem. A tier 2 APS uses sensors to identify when devices plugged into the controlled outlets are not being used and then automatically cuts power to these devices. Suppose you plugged your TV into a controlled outlet and then you fell asleep while watching a movie. The APS would sense a lack of activity and automatically turn the TV off. By avoiding such energy waste, a tier 2 advanced power strip could lower your energy costs by as much as $300 over five years.

Tip 3: Save Time by Shopping Local

While you might find yourself scrambling in search of the perfect Valentine's Day gifts, you need not look far to find energy-efficient products that can add to your special day. Use Mass Save's Retail Finder to locate nearby stores where you can purchase LEDs and advanced power strips. If you prefer to shop online, you can browse our Online Storefront. Thanks to special pricing provided by the sponsors of Mass Save, you'll find great in-store and online discounts on energy-efficient bulbs, power strips, and more.

So this February, as you prepare your shopping list for Valentine's Day, keep the cards, chocolates, and flowers on the list, but don't forget to include another item: energy-efficient products!