Energy Efficiency Holiday Gift Guide

Who says holiday gifts can't be both thoughtful and practical? This year, give gifts that help your loved ones save energy, cut utility bills, and feel good about their environmental impact—long after the wrapping paper is recycled.

Here are 20 clever energy-conscious gift ideas for the special people on your holiday gift list.

Starting Under $25

Perfect for stocking stuffers, Secret Santa exchanges, budding DIYers, and anyone on your gift list who moved into a new place this past year and is looking to make easy energy improvements.

1. Weighted Door Draft Stopper
   Give a decorative door draft blocker that stops warm air, cold air, and sound from passing under doors, a simple fix that can reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 10%. The perfect blend of practical and charming, whimsical designs like dachshunds, kitties, paisleys, or plaid give these “draft dodgers” a good name.
2. Solar-Powered Outdoor Waterproof Fairy Lights
   Mood-setting twinkle lights that charge by day, glow by night, and magically don’t raise the electric bill are an ideal gift for beautifully illuminating balconies, porches, and patios every night of the year.
3. Motion-Sensor Light Switch
   Sophisticated enough to ignore pets but responsive enough to light up the foyer when the human occupants get home at night, these switches automatically turn lights on only when someone's around. For DIY installation, replace only single-pole (1-gang box) light switches. For no rewiring (and under $5), you can rock their world with plug-in LED motion-sensing night lights instead, which are also available in decorative patterns and with multiple color effects.
4. Under-Cabinet LED Strips
   For the home chef who appreciates both form and function, illuminate their kitchen counters with LEDs that use 80% less electricity than traditional under-cabinet lighting. With so many options to suit nearly any kitchen setup—like hardwired, plug-in, rechargeable, fixed mount, adhesive, motion sensor, dimmable, and colored—under-cabinet lights are no longer a luxury. For illumination under multiple cabinets, look for linkable strips that share a single power source.
5. Personal Fan
   A virtually limitless array of choices and prices for energy-efficient fans to keep someone cool in a variety of situations. While hand-held personal fans earn consistently high ratings, consider a hands-free neck fan that has it all—rechargeable and powerful, yet quiet and lightweight.

$25 and Up

Thoughtful gifts for people on your list who cherish the comforts of home and love making them even cozier, smarter, and more energy efficient.

6. Electric Blankets
   Not your grandma’s scratchy electric blanket, these plush, modern heated throws and blankets cost pennies per night to keep the bed warm instead of dollars to heat the whole room. With sizes ranging from personal lap throws to California King in an almost endless array of texture and color options to complement any bedroom aesthetic, common features include ultra-plush microfiber or sherpa fabrics, dual-zone temperature controls for couples, auto-shutoff timers, and machine-washable designs.
7. Thermal Insulated Door Curtain
   A heavy-duty translucent or opaque thermal curtain is a genius gift idea for preserving indoor temperatures at high-traffic doorways, like man-cave, she-shed, or mudroom entrances or in garage door or patio sliding door openings. These insulated curtains create thermal barriers to climatically separate spaces and often feature magnetic or weighted closures that seal automatically after each pass-through.
8. Showerhead with Integrated LCD
   Encourage new habits while lowering energy costs from heating water with devices that trigger alerts when a shower is taking too long. A showerhead sold in the UK caught our attention, so we put it in this $25+ price range to account for extra shipping costs. It features a small LCD in the center of the showerhead that changes from green to orange to red the more water one uses. Over 40 liters of water, the display light turns orange; over 60 liters, the display goes red. The LCD also shows real-time water temperature (in Celsius). The same UK manufacturer also offers an in-line LCD flow meter to get the same green/orange/red color readouts for use with other showerhead brands.
9. Programmable Slow Cooker
   Viva the one-pot meal! Made famous by Sunbeam’s 1970s Crock-Pot brand, today’s programmable slow cookers have evolved into smart kitchen workhorses that use 70-80% less energy than conventional ovens. For oven-like results, look for Dutch oven versions that can brown and sear meats and veggies. Consider models with temperature probes, smartphone WiFi controls, and dishwasher-safe, removable interior pots and lids.
10. Single-Burner Induction Hot Plate
    If a cool-to-the-touch glass cooktop and extreme temperature precision aren’t benefit enough, an induction hot plate boils water 20-40% faster and with half the energy compared to conventional stovetops. Plus, help them take a first step away from indoor air-polluting natural gas and toward electrification. Plugs into a regular 110/120V electrical outlet. Great for RVs, dorms, or as a supplemental cooking surface. (Requires magnetic-bottom cookware; see gift idea #20 below.)
11. Wireless Solar Outdoor Speaker
    Combines entertainment and renewable energy for patios, picnics, sports, camping, or anywhere the sun is shining. Look for rugged IP67 waterproof / dustproof / sandproof models, dual-device pairing for better sound, and USB charging ports. Shopping tips: the higher the better on both output wattage and hours of playtime. Party on!

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How to Choose the Most Energy-Efficient Products
If an appliance is in your sights this holiday season, try EnergyStar.gov's Product Finder. From coffee makers and toaster ovens to washing machines and heat pump air conditioners, click on ENERGY STAR-certified items that interest you to see manufacturer names, model numbers, and comparative data on energy usage.
 
Tip: Look for products with the ENERGY STAR 'Most Efficient' designation, which represent the top 5-10% of certified products in the category for maximum savings and performance.

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$75 AND UP

Inspiring energy-saving gifts for gadget-lovers, tech enthusiasts, confident DIYers, and anyone ready to invest in home upgrades.

12. Thermal Cooking Pot
    These ingeniously insulated pots use a bare minimum of power or fuel to cook one-pot meals. Great for camping, the contents need only be brought to a boil (5-10 minutes) on a stovetop, then physics finishes the cooking inside the sealed pot for the next 2-4 hours. Ideal for beans, rice or grains, soups, and stews. Compare interior capacity and heat retention rates when shopping; the best models lose less than 2°C (3.6°F) per hour.
13. Solar Oven
    Another great gift for those who enjoy the great outdoors, solar ovens use reflective panels to focus sunlight into an insulated cooking chamber that can reach temperatures of 300-400°F for baking, roasting, or slow-cooking. Look for models with adjustable reflectors for optimal results. Pair with dark enamel cookware (Dutch ovens work beautifully) and an oven thermometer for precise cooking. And, yes, solar oven-baked brownies are legit.
14. Heated Mattress Pad
    What a luxury to sleep in a perfectly warmed bed in the winter. Lower the nighttime thermostat with a programmable mattress warmer controlled from a smartphone or attached controller(s). Look for waterproof backing, preferred settings memory, pre-heat, and timed shutoff features. For couples, there are even options for dual temperature control zones—perfect for keeping one sleeper cool while the other stays toasty.

$100+

For those who appreciate the finest in home technology, each of these substantial gifts represents a thoughtful investment in comfort, convenience, and a more sustainable lifestyle. These gifts keep giving all year long.

15. Programmable Electric Pressure Cooker
    Transform meal preparation from chore to convenience with this intelligent kitchen powerhouse. Pressure cooking requires 50-70% less energy compared to traditional oven or stovetop slow-simmer cooking methods. Immortalized by the Instant Pot brand, electronic pressure cookers use minimal electricity to prepare dried beans or pot roast in under an hour and even boast sauté, risotto, yogurt, and sous vide pre-sets.
16. Outdoor Solar Light
    Elevate the outdoor aesthetic with solar-powered LED illumination. Evolved far beyond basic pathway markers, today's outdoor solar lights make bold design statements anywhere in the yard where the daytime sun shines. Sleek bollard, post, pillar, pathway, and deck light options deliver inviting nighttime illumination for 8-12 hours per charge. Weather-resistant construction (IP65 rated or higher) ensures years of maintenance-free operation.
17. Smart Shower Sensor
    Encourage good habits while reducing energy costs associated with water heating with a smart shower sensor. One such shower monitoring system from New Zealand features a battery-powered sensor that attaches to a showerhead or pipe without plumbing modifications, plus a companion hub that displays shower time and delivers visual and audio alerts when duration exceeds preset limits. Between showers, the hub conveniently displays the day and time. The smartphone app provides comprehensive tracking of household water consumption (in liters), energy costs, CO₂ reductions, and cumulative savings based on local water and utility rates. Available for US orders by directly contacting the manufacturer.
18. Portable Power Station
    Remarkably versatile for both emergency preparedness and outdoor adventures, many portable power banks can charge from solar panels, wall outlets, or even your vehicle's 12V port. Silent and emissions-free, quality units feature LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries rated for 3,000-6,000+ charge cycles. Evaluate models based on watt-hour capacity (larger numbers mean longer runtime), peak output wattage (determines which appliances it can power simultaneously), and recharge speed (some models reach 80% in under an hour). For maximum utility, look for models that include or are compatible with folding solar panels.
19. Induction Cooktop
    This is the future of cooking with electricity. Induction cooktops won’t heat up the kitchen during summer like an oven would and is up to 3 times more efficient than a natural gas stove and up to 10% more efficient than a conventional smooth-top electric range; they can boil water in just 50 seconds compared to nearly 3 minutes for gas. An induction cooktop looks similar to a glass-top stove but will require magnetic-bottom cookware (see #20 below) and a 220/240V electrical circuit for a full-size unit.
20. Induction Cookware
    Make their transition to induction cooking seamless when thoughtfully paired with compatible cookware. Induction requires pots and pans with iron or steel bottoms; if a magnet sticks firmly to the pan’s bottom, it will work with induction. Premium pans feature heavy-gauge flat-bottom construction for even heating, magnetic steel exteriors, and heat-conducting cores.

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How to finance your home energy upgrades through GoGreen Financing

GoGreen Financing is a State of California-run program designed to make attractive, accessible financing available for qualified home energy upgrades. Learn about the wide variety of energy measures that qualify for GoGreen Home loans. Then select one or more participating contractors to do the work as well as a participating lender to fund your energy improvements.