Everyone likes to save energy, right? You’re reducing your impact on the environment and saving money on utility bills at the same time – talk about a win-win scenario. However, despite the obvious benefits, the percentage of Americans who take energy efficiency steps in their lives is actually dropping, according to a recent poll. Read on to find out more.

Commitment to Energy-Saving Decisions

The survey, conducted by the Harris Poll, did contain some good news. A relatively high percentage of respondents take some actions to reduce their energy use – 75 percent of people, for example, said that they turn off lights and televisions when they aren't being used. That's a good first step. However, last year the number was 79 percent, and it reached as high as 82 percent in 2012. What gives?

One explanation is that money talks. Natural gas and oil prices have been relatively low in recent years, so people just might not be paying attention to every last megawatt.

"Even though understanding of energy sources remains at historical levels, in the last few years fewer consumers are taking steps to reduce energy consumption in their homes," Carol M. Gstalder, Reputation & Public Relations Practice Leader for Harris Poll, said in a press release. "As energy prices drop, so do consumers' commitment to energy-saving decisions from replacing light bulbs and water heaters to installing solar."

Lax Attention Across the Board

The Harris Poll laid out other areas where the survey found a reduction in consumer efficiency strategies:

Renewable Fuels Popular, Coal Not so Much

Taking another tack, Americans have some strong opinions about what types of fuels are best to keep feeding our energy addiction. Renewables are popular, with 78 and 75 percent of respondents saying that the benefits of solar and wind, respectively, outweigh the costs.

Getting the short end of the opinion stick were nuclear energy and coal. About 42 percent of respondents thought the risks outweighed the benefits for nuclear, with only 34 percent responding positively. And 46 percent of people gave a thumbs-down to coal, with 34 percent still in favor.

How You Can Do Better

If you want to uncover more ways to save energy in your home, have a home services technician conduct an energy audit to discover any waste and inefficiencies. You'll be in a knowledgeable minority: Only 11 percent of Americans have had an energy audit, the poll found.

In our previous blog, the professionals at Electrical Gurus gave out some ways tips for increasing the safety of holiday decorations throughout the holiday season. Today, we’ll share even more ways to safely and effectively decorate your home this holiday season.

Even if the lights are unplugged when you’re hanging them (which is advised), be sure to never use nails, screws, or tacks to hang your Christmas lights; instead, opt for clips for interior and exterior applications. This will keep your wires from accidentally becoming nicked or frayed during or after the hanging process, which can get dangerous quickly.

Never use extension cords that don’t feature ground or are not rated for outdoor usage outdoors to avoid electrocution risk. Furthermore, it is especially advisable to only plug lights into GFCI outlets, especially if they are plugged into the exterior of your home. These outlets will essentially shut themselves off in the event of a short, which is crucial to avoiding safety concerns.

Always use timers for decorations and lights to prevent yourself from forgetting to turn them on or off. Lights should never be left on when nobody is home, which is why it is advisable to turn them off during daytime hours when the family is out-and-about. Timers keep your home safe by preventing power from flowing through the lights during the day, automatically activating them in the evening hours.

Large decorations, cords, and lights should all be kept well away from tripping hazards. Of special note is extension cords, which should never be allowed to cross walkways without proper coverage. Ideally, extension cords shouldn’t be run along open space in any way. If someone trips over one decoration, then odds are all attached decorations are at risk for getting dislodged or damaged.

If your home has the proper circuit breakers, there is little risk of a fire starting from overloading an outlet; that doesn’t mean it is wise to plug in numerous strands of lights into a single outlet. Spread the burden of lights and decorations across numerous breakers whenever possible to avoid taxing your electrical panel too much in certain areas. If your home is not equipped with a circuit breaker and still uses outdated fuses, please give us a call right away to talk about upgrading your panel.

We hope you’re safe this holiday season, but if you happen to overload your circuit breakers or have a concern about the lighting of your holiday decorations, be sure to give us a call right away. The electricians at Electrical Gurus want to help to keep every Des Moines family happy and healthy throughout the holiday season.