Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve: turn the holidays into your savings resolution

Therefore, turning the holiday season into an energy-saving resolution is a small action that can make a big difference to your bill and your household budget, as well as to emissions and environmental protection. Here’s how to do it —so you can start 2026 on the right foot while cutting costs.

Why choosing the right heating system in winter matters

In winter, climate control —specifically heating— is the heavyweight on your energy bill, accounting for between 50% and 70% of household energy consumption, according to data from Spain’s Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE).

Maintaining a comfortable temperature between 19 and 21 °C during the day and 15 to 17 °C at night is the most recommended range to avoid excessive energy demand. Each additional degree can increase energy costs by 7% to 10%, which makes adjusting your thermostat a key factor during the holidays. That’s why it’s essential to stay alert: incorrect heating settings can quickly multiply your bill.

Another way to reduce consumption is to keep equipment in good condition, ventilate your home early in the day and take advantage of the home’s thermal inertia. All these measures will help prevent consumption spikes when guests arrive or celebrations run late.

How much energy is really used during a Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve dinner?

During the holidays, most energy consumption is concentrated in the kitchen. Preparing more elaborate meals usually means increased use of the oven, ceramic hob, induction hob and small appliances. According to IDAE data, the oven accounts for 4% of household electricity consumption, the ceramic hob for 9% and the refrigerator for 18%.

An average oven uses around 0.6 to 0.9 kWh. At 200 °C, it consumes about 0.94 kWh, while at 250 °C, it uses around 1.175 kWh. If dinner requires several long cooking processes, consumption can easily exceed 3 to 4 additional kWh compared to a normal day. This shows how directly temperature settings and usage time impact your electricity bill.

To this kitchen consumption, you also need to add decorative lighting and longer, more intensive heating use, as well as the operation of electronic devices.

As for overall demand, Red Eléctrica typically shows evening peaks. On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, consumption starts earlier and drops after midnight, reflecting the specific usage patterns of these celebration days.

How to save electricity on Christmas Eve without giving up the celebration

Christmas Eve wouldn’t feel magical without lights, delicious food and unforgettable moments with loved ones. To keep traditions alive, there are simple strategies that let you enjoy the holidays without your electricity bill skyrocketing:

Cook efficiently

• Plan your timing carefully. Define the menu so you can use the oven with full loads and cook in batches. Cooking several dishes back-to-back avoids wasting the energy already accumulated. Using residual oven heat along with the ceramic hob can significantly reduce consumption. Also, avoid excessive preheating and use convection when available.
• For quick reheating, microwaves and air fryers are a good option, as they consume less energy per minute of use than ovens or ceramic hobs.
• Cover pots and choose properly sized cookware that matches the burner diameter. This reduces heat loss and speeds up cooking, lowering consumption on ceramic hobs. Using energy-efficient appliances also contributes to overall savings.

Responsible Christmas lighting

• Use LED lights and timers for decoration whenever possible. LED string lights consume up to 80% less energy than traditional ones and last longer. Programming them with timers limits usage to just a few hours.
  Extra tip: make the most of your Christmas tree and decorative lighting so you don’t need to turn on all the lights in your home
• For outdoor areas and façades, high-efficiency LED lights are also ideal, switched on during optimised hours to reduce consumption.
• Take advantage of natural daylight during preparations and turn decorations off when guests aren’t around.

Properly adjusted heating

• Keep the thermostat between 19 and 21 °C, lowering it to 15–17 °C at night. There’s no need to raise the temperature significantly —several people gathered in one room naturally generate heat.
• Prepare in advance: bleed radiators, install thermostatic valves and place reflectors behind radiators to improve performance at a low cost.
• Ventilate briefly (just a few minutes), keep doors to unused rooms closed, avoid covering radiators with furniture or laundry. Moreover, close curtains and blinds at night to reduce heat loss caused by the ‘cold wall’ effect.

How to save energy on New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve combines intense preparations with irregular schedules. Consumption is more concentrated on lighting and heating due to nighttime hours. That’s why similar recommendations apply as on Christmas Eve: cook most dishes early, group cooking tasks together and avoid running several high-power appliances at the same time. The power system records evening peaks and a drop in demand after the midnight countdown, so adjusting your usage helps smooth overall consumption.

If dinner is lighter than on Christmas Eve, consider quick cooking methods or pre-prepared dishes to reduce prolonged oven use.

If you’re celebrating elsewhere, minimise standby power before leaving home. Phantom load can account for 6% to 10% of household electricity consumption. Turn off power strips connected to TVs, consoles, chargers and other gadgets you’re not using. Instead, leave on only essential ambient holiday lighting —or schedule it to turn off automatically.

From holiday habits to year-round energy savings

Turning Christmas into an efficiency goal —and using it as a starting point for a year-long energy commitment— is an effective and sustainable strategy.

Adopting long-lasting habits such as using programmable thermostats, setting lighting schedules, installing LED bulbs, improving home insulation, maintaining boilers and, when it’s time to upgrade, choosing high-efficiency technologies (heat pumps or condensing boilers), along with regularly reviewing your contracted energy tariff to ensure it truly fits your daily consumption, all increase comfort and reduce monthly electricity costs.

Find out how to adapt your electricity and gas tariff —and your consumption— to your lifestyle: