Christmas, Hanukkah, Valentine’s Day, Independence Day and even Halloween … No holiday is immune to the spell of twinkling of lights. Since July 2009, we’ve written over 600 blog posts. It comes as no surprise that a large majority of them have centered around a holiday. If you are one of the many folks hauling out holiday lights this weekend, you’ll appreciate this round-up of 6 Popular Holiday Lighting How-To Blog Posts that we’ve accumulated throughout the years.

1.

energy-efficient LEDs. If that’s not enough to convince you, this blog post from 2011 gives even more statistics on the benefits of upgrading your holiday string lights. (Update 2015: This blog post is now part of Winning the Battle on Christmas Lights: Artificial Trees

4. Lights for a Holiday-Ready Home

6. Follow Pegasus Lighting’s board Inspiration | Holiday Lighting on Pinterest.

Cost, energy savings, maintenance and aesthetics must all be taken into account to optimize your budget and bring out the best in your home with the finest lighting design.

1.   Fluorescent and CFL (compact fluorescent) lamps work well in areas that require cooler, energy-efficient general illumination, such as undercabinet lighting and cove lighting in kitchens or flush-mount ceiling fixtures in garages and basements.

2.  Low-voltage halogen lamps are best for accent lighting and to provide luxurious illumination in areas of the home that call for a more up-scaled look, such as living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and master bathrooms.

3.  For task lighting, choose LED (light-emitting diode) desk lamps, reading lamps, track lighting and mini-pendants. Bulbrite’s Generation 3 dimmable LED lamps provide great color rendering and light output, perfect for track and recessed fixtures. 

 4.  LED lamps are becoming the standard for outdoor lighting, too, due to their low-maintenance and high energy-efficiency. Although the initial cost for LED lamps is considerably higher, you will find tremendous long-term savings in energy, maintenance and replacement costs—especially in areas where illumination is frequently needed such as outdoor security lighting.

5.  Incandescent lamps are still popular for portable lighting and ceiling fixtures to provide pleasant general illumination.  Aim for energy-efficient incandescent:  Bulbrite’s Eco-Friendly Halogen A19 standard bulb is energy-saving, fully dimmable and available in clear or soft white.

Note:  Do not skimp and buy bulbs of lesser quality, because substandard bulbs may emit a poor quality of light and may burn out prematurely.  Purchase your lighting from a reputable dealer who will stand behind the quality of their merchandise.

For more information on updating your home with quality, energy-efficient lighting, visit a Capitol Lighting showroom and meet with a professional lighting consultant.

These LED vaporproof light fixtures are only compatible with From top to bottom: fixtures with cool white, natural white, and warm white ballast-bypass LED T8 tube light bulbs

The weatherproof fixture is dust tight as well as water and impact resistant with a shatterproof polycarbonate lens. A water-tight cord connector, quick-connect wiring adapter, T8 sockets, housing clips, and surface-mount brackets are included. The T8 LED vaporproof light fixture operates within a 100-277V AC range and is covered by a lifetime warranty (fixture only).

Between buying presents and decorating your home, the holidays can get expensive. Not to mention, your

Let's face it: stringing your house with thousands of additional holiday lights is going to get the meter running in overdrive. To help put this in perspective: Americans spend

When you're hosting loved ones over the holidays, you have more lights turned on throughout the house as guests fill up previously unused bedrooms. Offset this increase by limiting the amount of time that you keep the decorative lights on with a timer. These decorations may be festive and amp up the Christmas spirit, but you only need to leave them on for a few hours every night to enjoy them.

If you really want to set the mood, rely on candles and the fireplace to provide light as well. This small adjustment can make your home feel more intimate and ignite the holiday spirit in all of your guests. Just remember to follow the necessary

You're cooking for a horde of people when the family stops by for holiday meals. Between your electric stovetop and microwave, the wattage is going to be through the roof. To minimize costs, optimize the preheated setting of an oven.

Preheat your oven only when you are ready to use it and cook your dishes at the same time (if they need the same temperature) or in a row (from lowest to highest temperature). This will prevent wasting the energy needed to preheat the oven prior to cooking.

By following these five electric bill savings tips, you can prevent your debt from being out of control when you start the new year.