Nine gifts for the energy saver in your life
WINOOSKI, VT
Your guide to energy-efficient stocking stuffers that keep giving all year long
WINOOSKI, VT— Efficiency Vermont has released its 2023 holiday gift guide featuring energy-efficient items that could help you save energy while making everyone on your holiday list happy.
“Some of these efficient products are tried-and-true items with rebates available now,” said Becca Pavlik, Senior Energy Advisor at Efficiency Vermont. “Other items on this list are new technologies or just fun or useful gadgets.”
Here’s a list of nine suggestions for green gifting:
- Clear the path to energy-efficient snow removal with electric snow throwers. Don’t spoil another peaceful snowfall with that sputtering gas engine and dirty exhaust. Battery-operated electric snow throwers are convenient, quieter, and greener than gas-powered machines. Just charge and go. Consider the Pulse Cordless Snow Thrower by Vermont’s own DR Power Equipment.
Price range: $300-$1,500+ - Consider a three-pronged approach to gifting with Smart Outlets. A smart outlet turns nearly anything with a plug into a convenient smart device. Turn lighting on and off right through your smartphone or tablet. Control small appliances and electronics from almost any place at all. Smart outlets make great stocking stuffers for the “smart home-curious” on your list. Have a look at the Geeni Current Smart Outlet with its handy, universal app.
Price range: $20-$100+ - Don’t just dial in the savings. Automate them with Smart Thermostats. Energy-saving smart thermostats connect to your Wi-Fi network for convenient remote control of your home’s heating system. They can even learn from your usage and then self-program accordingly, saving you energy and money. Efficiency Vermont offers cash-saving rebates of up to $100 on a large selection of smart thermostats from Nest, ecobee, Honeywell, and others.
Price range: $60-$200+ - Give a breath of fresh air with an Air Purifier. Good indoor air quality is an essential part of a healthy home. Air purifiers refresh stale air and can reduce the chance of health issues caused by indoor pollutants – even airborne germs and viruses. Today’s purifiers come in a range of colors, sizes, filter types, and features, making them a good fit for any home. To make sure your gift keeps giving, choose an ENERGY STAR model.
Price range: $55-$2,500 - Control the mood right from your smartphone with Smart Light Strips. Nothing creates ambiance like twinkling lights. While they brighten the holidays, they’re fun to use year-round, too. But are you still using incandescent string lights? It’s time to switch to longer-lasting LEDs. When paired with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity, you can easily customize and program them, right from your phone. Consider Geeni Prisma Strip kits. They’re a good value and use the same app as the smart outlet on this list.
Price range: $14-$100+ - Spread the warmth with a woodstove fan. Maximize the warmth your woodstove provides by moving its heat through your home with one of these clever aluminum fans. Small and whisper-quiet, they can help to warm the room faster. Generating their own electricity from the heat of your stovetop, they require no other external power to operate. Take a look at the simple and dependable Canadian-made Ecofan UltrAir.
Price range: $30-$150 - Shine a (better) light with a USB rechargeable LED flashlight. The real gift here is the freedom from disposable batteries. Keep toxic heavy metals out of the landfill with a rechargeable LED flashlight. USB charging is a simple, cost-effective, and greener alternative to traditional batteries. One such torch is the Anker Bolder LC90. It’s intensely bright, focus-adjustable, and water-resistant – all without breaking the bank.
Price range: $10-$100+ - Clean up on spiffy laundry technology with washer/dryer combination units. Heat pump technology really is the master multitasker. This holds true on laundry duty as well. All-in-one washer/dryers can save energy, money, and space. Get a load of the qualifying washer/dryer models that can save a chunk of change up front with a rebate.
Price range: $1300-$2000+ - Strip away the potential for wasted energy with Advanced Power Strips. Say goodbye to standby load and hello to greater control over electronics, appliances, and more. When you add the control device of your choice to an advanced power strip, that device becomes the on/off switch for everything plugged in alongside it. Check out the TrickleStar 7-outlet Advanced PowerStrip.
Price range: $18-$100
Efficiency Vermont does not endorse any of these products or manufacturers. Whether these items will save energy in your household—or the household of the gift recipient—will depend on how the item is used. “But we want to support Vermonters looking to ensure efficiency and energy savings are a part of their holiday gift-giving,” Pavlik added.
About Efficiency Vermont
As the nation’s first Energy Efficiency Utility, Efficiency Vermont has helped Vermont avoid over 13.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence award for the last eight consecutive years. Efficiency Vermont works with partners to help our state transition to more affordable, low carbon energy use through education, incentives, and support for our clean energy workforce. Learn more at www.efficiencyvermont.com.
Efficiency Vermont Press Contact
Matthew Smith
Phone: (802) 540-7662
[email protected]