'Tis the season to save energy -- by using efficient new holiday lights inside and outside your home, and by putting them on simple timers so they do not stay on all the time.

New light-emitting diode (LED) lights come in vibrant colors, stay cool to the touch and use less than one-fourth the electricity that old-style incandescent lights used, says Michael Siminovitch, director of the California Lighting Technology Center at UC Davis.

Plug-in timers cost as little as $5 at home-supply stores, and can cut energy use substantially.

This idea and nine more you can use to save energy at home, without giving up lighting quality or comfort, are online at: http://cltc.ucdavis.edu.

The California Lighting Technology Center is a partnership of the university, state, industry and utilities dedicated to the development and application of energy-efficient lighting. It is a program of the UC Davis Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, in the College of Letters and Science.