Southern California Edison (SCE) is dispensing helpful hints so that its consumers can counter the higher electricity rates they are charging this year.

According to Lynda Ziegler, SCE’s senior vice president of customer service, “Saving energy is especially important at this time because the state’s tiered rate system can bump customer bills into upper rate tiers and higher per-kilowatt-hour (kWh) costs during months when usage jumps.”

SCE suggests that consumers can trim their electric bills by using a timer to automatically turn lights on and off and by using energy-efficient holiday lighting products.

The company has put together a chart that shows that LED holiday lights can cost less than a nickel per month to run, while icicle lights can cost more than $6 per strand.

Being festive and lighting up your neighborhood is fun, but we can't forget that all those extra watts require burning coal that could be used to fill the stockings of bad boys and girls.