For one thing, they’re less breakable than other lights.

Yes, LED holiday lights save energy. Up to 75% less energy than the old-fashioned kind, according to the U.S. government’s Energy Star program.

But there are more advantages to LEDs than energy savings. Here are 5 other reasons to switch to LED Christmas lights.

#1 They’re More Durable

They don’t have filaments or glass, so they’re less likely to break or be damaged as you string them up and down.

#2 LED Holiday Lights Last and Last

LED bulbs can keep your season bright for as long as 100,000 hours, says Cathy Choi, president of Moonachie, N.J.-based Bulbrite, which manufactures LED and regular bulbs. That’s substantially longer than the life of your old holiday light strings.

#3 You Can String a BIG Strand of Lights

Safety wise, you shouldn’t connect more than three traditional light strings, but you can connect at least 10 with LEDs and up to 87 in some cases, totaling a whopping 1,500 feet, Choi says. So blow your neighbor’s display away by cocooning your house in lights:

• You won’t have to buy as many extension cords.
• You can take your holiday lighting display further away from the outlet.

#4 They Reduce the Risk of Fire

They stay cooler than incandescent bulbs, according to Energy Star.

#5 They Now Come in Warmer Hues

Some people stick with their old lights because they don’t like the brighter hue that white LED holiday lights emit. But manufacturers now offer a “warm white” bulb that more closely mimics the glow of an incandescent light. Be sure to read the label to choose a bright or warm white and to ensure what you’re purchasing is Energy Star-certified.

Quick-and-easy tasks that’ll brighten up your interior.

The year’s coming to an end. Time to do four small tasks for a bright (and money-saving) new year.

#1 Clean Light Bulbs and Fixtures

Two great reasons to clean your light bulbs: You want as much light in your house as you can get as the days grow shorter, and, you’ll save money.

Dirty bulbs apparently shed 30% less light than clean ones, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Wipe bulbs with a cloth dampened by a mix of 1 oz. dish soap, ¼ cup white vinegar, and 3 cups of water. Get to it Dec. 1 so you’re ready for the curtain fall on the shortest day of this year: Dec. 21.

#2 Evaluate Homeowner’s Insurance

The holidays. You love them, but they do seem to eat up more cash than other times of year. Sure, you can scrounge around for change under your couch cushions, but that’s not going to offset much.

Why not get a home insurance checkup? Call your agent to go over the type of coverage you have, how much you really need, and how you can lower your premiums before your next monthly installment.

#3 Pack a Home Emergency Kit

The last thing you want during the holidays is for an emergency to chill your family’s cheer. Prepare for power outages and weather-related emergencies with an easy-to-find emergency kit.

Some items to include are bottled water, a hand-crank radio, a flashlight, batteries, a portable charger for your phone, warm blankets and, of course, a first-aid kit to patch up any boo-boos. Singing carols ’round the flashlight may not be ideal, but it’ll beat trying to celebrate in the dark.

#4 Buy Holiday Lights (After Dec. 25)

It’s tough to think about next Christmas when you’re still stuffed from a holiday dinner with all the trimmings. But think you must if you want to save on next year’s holiday. From Dec. 26 through year’s end, big-box stores try to clear the shelves of all that glitters.

Why does the oven go kaput on a holiday? No worries. Here’s how to go on the offense now.

Imagine you’re preparing to host your annual holiday party, and you’re past the point of no return. The veggies and meats have been bought. Guests are braving busy airports and crowded highways to get to your home — and then your oven won’t turn on. Your home-cooked meal has quickly turned into a frantic search for to-go meals from a local restaurant. That’s just one holiday hosting nightmare that can end your holiday party before it begins. We collected five of the most common issues and give you preventive tips to keep your party on track.

That’s just one of many hosting nightmares that can end your holiday party before it even begins. Thankfully, some of the most damaging mishaps can be easily avoided. We collected five of the most common issues and give you preventive tips to keep your party on track.

Problem: The Oven Doesn’t Heat

For any holiday occasion, the oven is the most important appliance in your house. If it fails to work, the centerpiece of your meal could go from roasted beef, ham, duck, or Tofurky to Peking Duck from the local Chinese takeout joint.

How to avoid:

• There are any number of reasons a stove can break, but one common cause is easy to prevent. Don’t self-clean your oven until AFTER the holidays. You risk blowing a fuse or a thermostat, and tracking down an oven technician around the holidays can be tough.

Problem: The Kitchen Sink Clogs

The day after Thanksgiving is the busiest of the year for plumbers. The prime cause of this clog-a-thon is the mistreatment of drains when cooking holiday feasts. We hope your Thanksgiving went well, and that you avoid clog-a-thons for the rest of the holidays.

How to avoid:

• Fats and cooking oils can solidify in your pipes, so never dispose of them in your kitchen sink.
• If you have a garbage disposal, make sure it’s running before anything goes in it, and never feed it any stringy, fibrous, or starchy foods like poultry skins or potato peels.
• To fix, don’t rely on chemical drain-clearing products that can harm your pipes. Use a drain snake instead, available for $25 at your local hardware store. Some experts say if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could damage the pipes. So, hiring an expert is another, maybe safer, way to go. But finding a plumber around the holidays can be harder than cooking a five-course dinner.

Problem: The Heat Goes Out

When you’re holiday hosting, you’re supposed to hang guests’ coats — not apologize that the guests have to keep them on. A lack of heat can stop a holiday party dead in its tracks.

How to avoid:

• The key to avoiding freezing your party to a standstill is regular maintenance of your HVAC. Every 90 days, install a new one-inch pleated furnace filter. If you haven’t done it in a while, now’s a good time to replace it.
• Also inspect insulation on refrigerant lines leading into your house. Replace them if they’re missing or damaged.

Problem: The Toilet Stops Up

Toilets have a way of clogging at the worst times, such as during parties and when you have overnight guests. This is especially true if you have a low-flow toilet from the early 1990s.

How to avoid:

• Don’t flush anything other than sewage and toilet paper down the toilet. And there’s nothing wrong with putting up a polite note to remind your guests to do the same.

Problem: The Fridge Doesn’t Cool

Without a properly functioning refrigerator, your meat could get contaminated, your dairy-based treats could go sour, and you may not be able to save your yummy leftovers. To avoid discovering a warm fridge after it’s too late, take these simple precautions.

How to avoid:

• Get a thermometer for your refrigerator to make sure each shelf stays below 40 degrees and you can be aware of any temperature changes.
• Make sure the condenser coils located on the back of or beneath the unit are free to breathe. Coils blocked from circulating air by cereal boxes atop the fridge, or dirtied by dust or pet hair can prevent a fridge from keeping cool.
• 

Don’t Scrimp on the Screen

Do you have rambunctious pets that make durability a top priority? Or do you want to avoid blocking a beautiful view with an obtrusive screen? There’s a type of screen for just about any need.

Screened-In Deck Ideas to Make Yours Extra Special

Add electrical outlets for lamps, ceiling fans, and phone chargers and add a skylight to the adjacent room to avoid the loss of light will result from enclosing your deck.

Start saving those egg cartons!

Give or take a Scrooge or two, everybody loves the holidays: Decorating the tree, hanging lights, hanging holly — all those things! But you know what nobody loves? Taking all those things down.

Because, wow, what an unorganized mess.

Before you go all Scrooge, get your jolly back with these simple holiday decorating hacks.

#1 Protect Ornaments With Holiday Recyclables

Trimming the tree should feel like the happy ending of a Lifetime holiday movie, not a game show where contestants guess which box will contain broken memories.

Keep ornaments safe for next year by stowing them in leftover party cups, hot-glued onto a piece of foam board cut to fit inside a storage bin, recommends Lisa Woodruff, founder and CEO of Organize 365 in Cincinnati.

Or pack ornaments away using bubble wrap from holiday packages or egg cartons from those countless cookies you made.

All of these options make for shock-absorbent padding that’s more durable than paper towels or tissue paper.

#2 Create a Year-Round Focal Point

You dream of decking every hall, every year, but when the holidays roll around, you’ve got a brisket to bake and cocktails to clink.

So, focus your festive energy on just one iconic focal point — a wreath on the front door or greenery on the mantel — something you can easily change with the season.

Or, create a display that makes you feel merry year-round. (Try repurposing storefront letters to spell out “LOVE” or “JOY” — sentiments that never go out of season.)

#3 Get a Decorating Toolbox

Before you can hang a single strand of lights or sprig of mistletoe, you have to find the gosh-darn zip ties, track down the floral wire, and repurpose a few extension cords.

Just thinking about the prep work makes you ready for a long winter’s nap. But this year’s gonna be your prep for next year and the years to follow.

As you put everything up, keep a running checklist of what you need. Then stock a toolbox and replenish it every year.

#4 Leave Your Light Hooks and Nails in Place for Next Year

If you like to trim your home’s roof and siding with holiday lights, you know what a hassle it is to find last year’s nail holes while balancing on a ladder with your extremities slowly freezing.

So, this year, use hooks that match your siding (not nails because they fall out easier) or paint them so they are indistinguishable from your siding or trim before you put them up.

Then leave them up when you take down your lights.

Come next year, just rehang your lights and bask in your twinkling success.

#5 Wrap Lights Around Cardboard

There’s nothing like a multicolored knot of lights to dampen your bright holiday spirit.

So, as you take down this year’s lights, wrap them around empty gift boxes or cardboard. Make a small notch on each side to keep the ends snugly in place.

Next year you’ll spend less time untangling your lights and more time basking in them.

#6 Hang Wreaths on Rods or in Rafters

All year you look forward to hanging that wreath you got for a steal at an after-Christmas sale.

Rather than tossing it in a trash bag, where it can too easily get seriously mushed or even forgotten, hang it on a rod or from nails hammered into the attic rafters or garage walls, Woodruff recommends.

It will be easy to find and in pristine shape for next year.

#7 Store Your Tree With the Decorations on It

No, seriously.

If strategizing the placement of dancing Santa and his 107 dangly friends is your least favorite part of holiday decorating, skip it after this year.

Ask someone to help you tightly wrap this year’s decorated (artificial) tree — yep, ornaments and all — with heavy-duty stretch plastic wrap (the type that professional movers use, which you can find at home improvement stores).

Next year, just cut the wrap and reshape the branches.

Happy holidays indeed.

#8 Or Give In and Buy a Tree Bag

Every Dec. 26, you begin to dread wrestling your artificial tree back into its original packaging.

This year, go ahead and spend the 30 to 50 bucks on a tree bag or box, Woodruff says. It will seal out dirt, dust, and bugs, and won’t smash the branches. Plus, some styles even allow you to store your tree fully or partially assembled.

Just knowing you can skip the reassembly next time makes for an extra happy New Year.

#9 Trim Those Trimmings

Getting out decorations should be a welcome walk down memory lane — not a guilt trip through items you “should” display — but ugh.

So when you take down this year’s decor, follow the old rule for paring down your wardrobe and get rid of anything you didn’t use. You know, that carol-singing mounted fish from your dad or Nana’s crocheted coaster set. And donate them.

“If it’s a sentimental item, take a picture of it,” Woodruff says.

You won’t waste storage space and come next year, you’ll be greeted only by items you love and use.

#10 Organize by Room

If you’ve got snowmen in every bathroom and a jingle bell on every drawer, you may end up with mountains of half-empty boxes piled everywhere for longer than you spend enjoying the decor.

Get your halls decked more efficiently by sorting your boxes of trimmings by room, Woodruff suggests.

Then, label each light strand by location — mantel, doorway, tree, etc. Decorating is merrier when you can grab a bin and make an evening of it, one room at a time.

#11 Create a ‘Must Have’ Bin

Put all your favorite decorations in one first-up, last-down bin.

Next year, you’ll spend more time enjoying your cherished menorah or manger and less time rummaging to find it.

Like turning down the heat when you crank up the oven.

Your home gets a serious workout on Thanksgiving. While you may be packing on the pounds, your home is sweating from increased usage — more people coming in and out, and more digital devices to charge so everyone can keep up with their favorite football team and friends.

Your home’s energy consumption can skyrocket, especially when the oven’s working nonstop and you’re pulling out kitchen gadgets to chop and purée.

Give your home a break and don’t make it work so hard, which will also save you cash on energy bills. Try these tips.

A Few Days Before Thanksgiving
1. Install a dimmer switch for the dining room chandelier. Every time you dim a bulb’s brightness by 10%, you’ll double the bulb’s lifespan.

2. Plan side dishes that can cook simultaneously with the turkey. If you cook dishes at the same temperature at the same time, you’ll reduce the amount of time the oven has to be running. It’s easier for the cook and saves energy, too.

When You Start Cooking
3. Lower your house thermostat a few degrees. The oven will keep the house warm. You also can turn on your ceiling fan so it sucks air up, distributing heat throughout the room.

4. Use ceramic or glass pans. You can turn down the oven’s temp by up to 25 degrees and get the same results. That’s because these materials retain heat so well that they’ll continue cooking food even after being removed from the oven.

5. Use your oven’s convection feature. When heated air is circulated around the food, it reduces the required temperature and cooking time. You’ll cut your energy use by about 20%.

6. Cook in the microwave whenever possible. Ditto slow cookers. Microwaves get the job done quickly, and although slow cookers take much longer, they still use less energy than the oven. Resist the urge to peek inside your slow cooker. Each time you remove the lid, it releases heat and can add about 25 minutes of cooking time to your dish.

7. Use lids on pots to retain heat. The food you’re cooking on the stovetop will heat up faster when you use lids.

When It’s Cleanup Time
8. Scrape plates instead of rinsing with hot water. Unless food is really caked on, your dishwasher should get the dishes clean without a prerinse. Compost your nonmeat food waste.

9. Use your dishwasher. It saves energy and water, so hand wash only things that aren’t dishwasher-safe. Wait until you’ve got a full load before starting the dishwasher. Be sure to stop the appliance before the heated dry cycle; just open the door and let your dishes air dry.

Plug Open Stud Cavities

Most of your house probably has an inner skin of drywall or plaster between living space and unheated areas. But builders in the past often skipped this cover behind knee walls (partial-height walls where the roof angles down into the top floor), above dropped ceilings or soffits, and above angled ceilings over stairs.

Close Gaps Around Flues and Chimneys

Building codes require that wood framing be kept at least one inch from metal flues and two inches from brick chimneys. But that creates gaps where air can flow through.

Weatherstrip the Attic Access Door

A quarter-inch gap around pull-down attic stairs or an attic hatch lets through the same amount of air as a bedroom’s heating duct. Seal it by caulking between the stair frame and the rough opening, or by installing foam weatherstripping around the perimeter of the hatch opening.

Some Halloween tricks can really cost you.

Plenty of people love a good Halloween scare — as long no one gets hurt. And that includes your house.

Hot lights and kids on foot present some real risks to homeowners. Follow these seven tips for trick-or-treat safety:

#1 Make Your Outdoor Lights as Bright as Possible

Check the label on your outdoor light fixtures and use the highest wattage bulbs they can safely handle. You can always switch them back after the holiday for a softer glow.

#2 Prop Open the Storm Door for Trick-or-Treaters

Keep the screen or storm door propped open so it doesn’t get in the way when kids are on your stoop. Yellow caution tape can do the trick while keeping with your Halloween theme. A 1,000-foot roll of three-inch-wide tape costs about $8.

#3 Use LEDs Instead of Real Candles

We all know the danger of using real candles with a flame in decorations like carved pumpkins or paper lanterns; they’re a fire waiting to happen. LED-bulb faux candles are much safer, and the light looks a lot like the real thing. Before you purchase Halloween decorative lights, be sure to look for safety certifications such as UL (Underwriters Laboratories).

#4 Use Motion Lights After the Trick-or-Treaters Have Left

When the trick-or-treaters go home, the vandals often come out. Motion sensor lights that illuminate the whole house can help scare away any mischief makers.

#5 Tighten Railings

Fixing wobbly or broken porch railings is a trick-or-treat safety must. They can cause severe injuries if anyone leans on them a little too hard. Hire a contractor or handyman to fix the problem before your guests arrive.

#6 Use Friction Tape on Steps

Steps can get slippery in damp weather. Prepare by applying friction tape ($16 for a 60-foot roll of one-inch-wide tape) to steps.
If your neighborhood is at risk for an early freeze, stock up on ice melt, too ($20 for a 50-pound bag).

A related Halloween trick-or-treat safety tip: Clear your walk, steps, and stoop of any obstructions like potted plants – and even jack-o’-lanterns. Move them where no one can accidentally stumble on them.

#7 Trick-or-Treat Safety Tips

Here’s a scary statistic: On average, over two times as many child pedestrians die on Halloween compared to other days, according to the Children’s Safety Network. Of all the trick-or-treat safety guidelines, this one could be the most important.

Reduce risks to little pedestrians by clearing parked cars from the curb for better visibility and placing a reflective “Watch for Children” sign at the edge of the road. On busy streets, consider having adults take turns maintaining safety in the street with a hand-held traffic control light.

Our winterizing your home checklist will help you keep your house cozy and safe from winter’s frigid assault.

Preparing your house for winter may not be on the top of your to-do list right now. After all, most of us wouldn’t rather spend their down time doing home maintenance tasks when they could be enjoying the fall foliage, going apple picking, or sipping pumpkin-spiced lattes instead of winterizing their house. But, here’s the reality: you can’t procrastinate if you want your home to be fully prepared for the winter elements.

Indeed, cold weather, ice, and snow can do real damage to your home — unless you take the time to prepare it before the winter chill takes hold. Completing this checklist will effectively winterize your home — and make your abode a lot more enjoyable when the thermometer dips.

Insulate Windows

Winter drafts can drive up your energy bill — and detract from the cozy vibe you want inside your home when it’s cold outside — if your windows have any air leaks. But by reducing drafts you can lower your home’s energy costs by up to 20% per year, according to the U.S. Energy Department, while also making your living space more comfortable.

Here are five simple solutions (all under $8!) that will allow you to insulate your windows quickly:

1. V-seal weather stripping. Add this plastic weather stripping along the sides of the sashes. Windows can open and shut evenly with the V-seal in place. (Pro tip: Weather stripping also works wonders on doors.)
2. Rope caulk. This soft, sticky stuff can be molded to fill the gap — and the caulk removes easily at the end of the cold season.
3. Shrink film. Applied with double-sided tape, this clear plastic sheeting shrinks drum-tight when heated with a hair dryer. The film seals off drafts and captures an insulating buffer of air. Use rubbing alcohol to help release the tape in the spring to avoid stripping off any paint.
4. Nail polish. If carefully applied, clear polish fills the crack almost invisibly. Once hardened, it will stabilize the glass until you can replace it in the spring.
5. Draft snake. If the bottom of your window is letting in cold air, buy a foam-and-fabric draft snake kit. Cut the 36-inch foam tube provided to length and slip the washable cover over it. Then place the snake on the sill, and shut the window on to seal the deal.

Trim Tree Branches

The last thing you need is a winter storm loosing the wrath of that mighty tree whose branches are angling over your roof. Not to mention, overhanding limbs can cause excess water to seep into cracks in your home’s roof or siding, which is why you want to make sure any tree limbs or branches surrounding your home are at least 3 feet away from the house.

Inspect Your Fireplace

A visual inspection, both inside and outside your home, can ensure that your wood-burning fireplace is in good shape for the burning season.

During an outdoor inspection, make sure:

• A chimney cap is present and in good condition.
• There is no bird nest or debris buildup on the cap.
• There are no tree limbs above or near the chimney.
• The mortar and bricks on the chimney aren’t crumbling or missing.
• The chimney rises at least 2 feet above where it exits the roof.
• The chimney crown — the sloping cement shoulders at the top of the chimney — is beveled, which helps air flow.
• The flue liner is visible above the chimney crown.
• The chimney is plumb and not leaning to one side or the other.·
• The roof flashing is tight against the chimney.

Inside your home, confirm that:

• The flue damper opens, closes, and seals properly.
• There are no combustible materials, such as animal nests, or other foreign objects in the flue.
• The fireplace surround, hearth, and firebox have no cracked bricks or missing mortar.

If you spot any damage, order a professional fireplace and chimney inspection. An inspection costs, on average, between $79 and $500, depending on whether you’re ordering a level-one or level-two inspection.

Gas fireplaces require less maintenance, but you should still:

• Inspect the glass doors for cracks or latch issues.
• Check that the gas logs are in the proper position.
• Turn gas off at the shut-off valve and test the igniter.
• Ignite the fire and look for clogged burner holes. If present, turn off gas and clear obstructions with a pin or needle.

Check the Roof

You certainly don’t want to find out you have a leaky roof after the first snow hits. A roof inspection can help you spot any potential issues.

Squeamish about heights? Don’t worry — you can do a thorough inspection from the ground using a pair of binoculars.

Work your way around your house, looking for these defects:

• Cracked caulk or rust spots on flashing.
• Shingles that are buckling, curling, or blistering.
• Missing or broken shingles.
• Cracked and worn rubber boots around vent pipes.
• Masses of moss and lichen, which could signal the roof is decaying underneath. Black algae stains are just cosmetic.

Some roofing fixes are easy to do yourself, such as repairing shingles or calking flashing, if you’re comfortable working on a roof. If you’re not, you’ll want to consult a specialized roof inspector. Be prepared to pay between $119 and $296 for a standard roof inspection.

Clear Out Gutters and Downspouts

Clogged rain gutters or downspouts can damage your home’s foundation or cause ice dams, which can lead to expensive repairs. So, after the leaves have fallen, clean your gutters to remove leaves, twigs, and gunk. Also, make sure the gutters aren’t sagging and trapping water, tighten gutter hangers and downspout brackets, and replace any worn or damaged materials.