Hawaiian Electric Co. offered these 12 tips for holiday lighting to help use energy efficiently and have a safe holiday:
» Buy holiday lights certified as safe by an independent testing lab, such as UL or ETL.
» Choose light strands that use LED bulbs or minilights to reduce electricity use.
» Check light strands for frayed wires, damaged sockets, cracked insulation or loose connections, and replace defective strands.
» Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for the number of light strings that can be safely connected together.
» Do not overload extension cords.
» Do not use staples or nails to hang light strands and do not string them on metal rain gutters, metal railings or chain-link fences.
» Outdoors, only use light strands and extension cords that are rated for outdoor use.
» Outdoors, waterproof exposed electrical connections with electrical tape and keep the connections off the ground.
» When hanging lights outdoors, keep yourself and your ladder at least 10 feet away from power lines.
» Plug outdoor electric displays and light strings into an outlet having a ground fault circuit interrupter, or GFCI.
» Turn off or unplug light strands before leaving home or going to bed.
» After the holidays, store lights properly so the strands do not crimp and tangle. This makes it makes it easier for you to use them the following year.
