The dark, wet autumn evenings are gone and a white winter has come in their place. The fairy lights and decorations that have been put away are being brought outside and more and more streets, windows and balconies are being decorated in the Christmas spirit – with a variety of white, multicoloured, bright and twinkling lights and decorations, delighting young and old alike.

However, it is no secret that celebrating the festive season usually comes with a hefty price tag. How can you reduce spending? We invite you to take a look at the recommendations of the Elektrum Energy Efficiency Centre so that you can welcome and celebrate the holidays in an energy-efficient way.

How to effectively prepare a holiday feast

Christmas cannot be complete without a delicious meal. To prepare it, both the oven and the electric hob are actively used. How do you prepare a holiday meal with less energy consumption?

• The oven door should be opened as little as possible during cooking, as every time it is opened the internal temperature of the oven drops and additional energy is then needed to reach the previous temperature.
• If possible, we recommend using the convection function of the oven, or hot air mode, which allows you to cook faster and more efficiently, as the fan distributes the heated air evenly throughout the oven, using less energy. If the cooking temperature specified in the recipe is 200 °C, 180 °C should be selected in the convection mode, thereby reducing electricity consumption by up to 20%!
• Some ovens are also equipped with a steam function. It is particularly useful for those who follow a healthy lifestyle, as it not only preserves the nutritional value of the product but also improves its taste and texture – juiciness on the inside, and crunchiness on the outside. This function is also suitable for pastry making, so it will come in handy for making your favourite pies and pastries during the festive season.
• To reduce electricity consumption, it is recommended to switch off the oven 10–15 minutes before you finish cooking without opening the oven door, as the oven will still retain heat.
• When cooking on an electric hob, it is advisable to adjust the intensity of the cooking temperature, i.e., you should set it to the maximum temperature at first and reduce the intensity to maintain the cooking or boiling temperature as soon as the food starts to cook or the water boils. Last but not least, you should cover the pot or pan with a lid to prevent heat from evaporating into the air.

LED is the right choice

Skilfully chosen interior elements and decorations, such as decorative fairy lights, help create a festive mood. Different types of fairy lights are available – with larger, smaller incandescent and LED bulbs. Why is it important to choose LED light bulb strings?

• Electricity consumption may be up to twenty-five times less than an equivalent string with incandescent bulbs.
• The service life is longer and they have a more durable plastic casing compared to the glass frame of incandescent bulbs.
• They release less heat during operation, reducing the risk of fire – you can leave the lights on without worry;
• In an LED string, unlike an incandescent string, all the bulbs are connected in parallel, not in a chain, so if one or even several LED bulbs in the string burn out, the rest of the string continues to work.

Safe and efficient use of fairy lights

• When going out of the house or in the evening before going to bed, it is recommended to turn off the fairy lights, thus, reducing electricity consumption by at least twice. This process can be made easier by using a timer or smart socket instead of turning it off manually.
• Before installing the fairy lights, it is necessary to check whether there is no visible damage in the power supply unit and wires, for example, whether the sheaths of the wires are cracked, melted, or broken.
• When decorating the Christmas tree, the strings should be placed in such a way that they cannot be damaged by a candle or sparkler flames.
• When decorating the exterior of your home or an outdoor Christmas tree, make sure that the string packaging shows the alphanumeric combination IP44, indicating that it is resistant to moisture and changes in weather but is not intended to be immersed in water, while IP67 on the string means that it is moisture and water resistant.

For more useful information on choosing your festive lighting, please click here: A Guide to Choosing Decorative String Lights

Caring for the environment – even during the holidays

While celebrating the holidays, we invite you to think about the environment as well. Just as we take care of our homes, keeping them clean and tidy daily as well as during the festive season, we should also think about the environment in the same way, by carefully assessing our habits and our use of resources.

• We often use candles for festive lighting. The main thing is to observe fire safety measures. However, it is equally important to pay attention to the composition of the candle, which is why we recommend giving preference to candles made from natural waxes such as soy, palm, rapeseed, and beeswax. Paraffin candle wax is made from crude oil and, together with artificial colours and fragrances, burning candles releases substances that can harm your health and worsen the air quality at home and in the environment. To minimise the damage caused by paraffin wax, rooms should be regularly ventilated.
• When choosing light bulb strings, we recommend LEDs – not only will they last longer and use less electricity, but they are also an environmentally friendly solution. The future is in our hands, so let's save the environment! We can also do this by replacing every existing light bulb with an LED.
• We invite you to think twice about buying a new appliance for your kitchen, such as an air grill or hot air fryer, which is currently making the rounds on social media, tempting you to buy it. First of all, you need to evaluate what will be cooked in it, and how often and how much it will be possible to cook in such a device. You should think about how regularly the toaster or waffle iron purchased during the holiday discount period last year was used. A seemingly desirable electrical appliance may meet a similar fate.
• When preparing for a Christmas party or a holiday sale, we recommend that you carefully evaluate whether you need to buy new clothes. Perhaps it is possible to refresh some of the clothes that have been waiting for their appearance in the closet until now, avoiding the potential for additional waste in the future. We often do not think about the environmental impact of everyday things. For example, 6 million tonnes of clothing are consumed in the EU every year, generating 195 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions and consuming 46 million cubic metres of water during the production of clothing.
• We encourage you to reduce your electricity consumption by not leaving appliances on standby to reduce your overall electricity consumption by up to 10%.
• To clean the house for the holidays, it is possible to prepare cleaning products, thus reducing plastic packaging consumption. What is a simple recipe for a quick cleaning product – baking soda paste? One glass of water is mixed with three glasses of soda, creating a homogeneous mass. Soda can be used to clean the hob, oven, and hood, as well as tile seams and other surfaces.
• Carefully thought-out gifts are time spent together and only what the specific person needs, avoiding the purchase of things that will then be stored on a shelf and collect dust. We recommend you look at the Friendly Goods section, where you will find gifts for both big and small, giving positive emotions and showing care for nature. By choosing the Made in Latvia offer, you will support local producers and social enterprises.

Good begets good, let's increase the friendly energy together!