Make Your Holidays Both Bright and Energy Efficient

With the holiday season quickly approaching, households across the region can typically expect an increase in energy use due to cooler outdoor temperatures and a host of dinners and get-togethers with families and friends at home.

As the holiday lights and oven temperatures go up, so too does home energy usage.

At CPA, we are committed to providing local communities with renewable, reliable, competitively priced energy, while helping our customers save.

To use less power over the holiday season, try a few of these easy energy saving tips.

Tip #1: Limit number of times the oven and refrigerator doors are opened

To save energy, avoid repeatedly opening and closing oven and refrigerator doors. When the door is opened, the temperature from the outside gets in, delaying the heating or cooling process and requiring the appliance to expend more energy.

Tip #2: Cool down warm items before placing them in the refrigerator

Allowing heated foods and beverages a bit of time to cool before refrigeration helps reduce energy use. When hot food and beverages are placed in the fridge, they continue to release heat that causes the refrigerator to work harder to maintain a lower temperature.

Tip #3: When welcoming a large number of guests, reduce the thermostat’s heat setting

When hosting guests, one of the best ways to maintain a comfortable room on a cool winter night is to reduce the thermostat temperature as more guests begin to arrive. With the increase in body heat, a higher setting won’t be needed to maintain the warmth in the room, keeping guests comfortable and helping to save money.

Tip #4 Save energy by fully loading the dishwasher

Save energy by fully loading the dishwasher after a big meal. Doing one large load of dishes saves energy and water versus doing multiple loads over the course of the night. To save additional energy, purchase an Energy Star model, which will conserve, on average, 3,870 gallons of water over its lifetime.

Tip #5 Use solar powered holiday lights for outdoor decorating

Solar lights are a great way to save on electricity while decorating your home for the holidays. Solar lights charge during the day and then turn on automatically at night, bringing both the holiday spirit and a bit of holiday savings.

Tip #6 Turn down the thermostat overnight

At the conclusion of the evening, turn down the temperature of the thermostat until the morning. Reducing the temperature of your home overnight can save 1% on your heating bill for every degree lowered. Switching to an automated thermostat can also help save time while reducing energy use.

Learn about CPA’s many energy saving programs and ways to save on your bill at cleanpoweralliance.org/programs.

Rudy Sagastume

Rudy serves as Associate, Integrated Marketing at Clean Power Alliance. He is a multicultural marketing strategist with experience developing and executing integrated, multilingual marketing campaigns that connect diverse audiences to essential services and resources across Southern California. Throughout his career, he has supported nonprofit, healthcare, and mission-driven organizations, leading campaigns that span digital, television, radio, out-of-home, email, and direct mail, with an emphasis on delivering clear and culturally relevant messaging that drives awareness, engagement, and enrollment. A Los Angeles native from West Adams, he is committed to advancing community impact through strategic communications, storytelling, and audience-centered marketing campaigns. Rudy earned his MBA with a concentration in Project Management from Mount Saint Mary’s University and a B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Northridge.

Scott Nicholson

Scott Nicholson serves as Advisor, Energy Markets & Optimization on the Power Supply team. He supports portfolio management, assesses market policy updates, guides CRR strategy, and onboards new resources to advance CPA’s clean energy, reliability, and affordability objectives. He has more than a decade of experience in the renewable energy space in both research and consulting roles. Prior to joining CPA, Scott spent four years at Ascend Analytics, performing integrated resource planning, procurement evaluations, and portfolio management for utility and CCA clients. Prior to that, he spent seven years leading research on energy consumption in industrial supply chains at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He holds a Master of Science in Mineral and Energy Economics from the Colorado School of Mines and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University.

Jennifer Gorman

Jennifer Gorman serves as a Project Manager, Local Government Programs for Clean Power Alliance. She supports the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs that support adoption of clean energy technologies for CPA’s local government members. Prior to joining Clean Power Alliance, Jennifer worked as a Consultant and Business Development Manager at Strategen Consulting where she supported clients across their clean energy planning and regulatory innovation practice areas. She has also held internships at the Luskin Center for Innovation working on policy and planning at the water-wildfire nexus; at American Honda Motor on their Sustainable Business Development team; and at the U.S. Climate Alliance supporting their industrial decarbonization and electricity policy domains. Jennifer holds an M.P.P. from UCLA and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Abel Debela

Abel Debela serves as Data and Systems Architect with extensive experience in big data solutions and the design of scalable data pipelines for data lakes and data warehouses. He specializes in data integration and automation, with a strong focus on interpreting, analyzing, and reconciling heterogeneous data to deliver meaningful insights through effective data visualization. He has worked extensively with AWS and Azure cloud platforms and brings hands-on expertise in PySpark and leading visualization tools, including Tableau, Power BI, and AWS QuickSight. Abel’s industry experience spans finance, aviation, and public utilities, giving him a well-rounded perspective across diverse business environments. Abel holds a Master’s degree in Advanced Business Analytics from the University of Washington.

Chloe Taurel

Chloe Taurel serves as Analyst, Load Forecasting for Clean Power Alliance. Chloe works on maintaining load forecasting models, ensuring the accuracy of forecast inputs and outputs, and developing standardized reports and dashboards. Prior to joining Clean Power Alliance, she interned at the Michigan Green Building Collaborative, where she analyzed energy trends and benchmarked building efficiency data. She has also conducted research with the Energy Equity Project on energy affordability in historically redlined communities in Michigan and developed an ETL pipeline to centralize energy regulatory data. Chloe earned her Bachelor of Science in Data Science with minors in Energy Science & Policy and Sustainability from the University of Michigan.

Sid Matthew

Siddharth “Sid” Mathew serves as Project Manager, Settlements at Clean Power Alliance, where he supports accurate and efficient wholesale market settlements through data validation, discrepancy resolution, and contract performance review. He collaborates with internal teams and external partners to ensure settlement outcomes align with market activity and contractual requirements. Prior to joining Clean Power Alliance, Sid was a Senior Energy Analyst at Ascend Analytics, serving as lead analyst and primary client contact for modeling, valuation, and market analysis projects. His work included validating CAISO, MISO, and SPP market data; analyzing DA/RT prices, forward curves, and generation performance; and supporting PPA revenue assessment, curtailment analysis, and risk modeling. Earlier in his career, Sid worked at NERA Economic Consulting, where he conducted valuation, forecasting, and quantitative analysis for energy and infrastructure clients. Sid holds a master’s degree in economics from Sorbonne University in Paris and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and philosophy from Brown University.

Anthony Boukarim

Anthony Boukarim serves as Resource Planner, Power Supply, supporting long-term resource planning, portfolio optimization, and procurement strategy to advance CPA’s clean energy, reliability, and affordability objectives. He brings more than a decade of experience in the energy sector, spanning management consulting and advanced energy analytics, with deep expertise supporting utilities and community choice aggregators. Prior to joining CPA, Anthony spent six years at Ascend Analytics, where he led firm-wide renewable energy and storage procurement initiatives. He holds a Master of Science in Energy Resources Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut.

Kim Dunham

Kim joins Clean Power Alliance as the Senior Analyst, Rates and Tariffs. Kim is responsible for developing and maintaining CPA’s cost of service and rate models to evaluate the financial, competitiveness, and customer impacts of rate design and rate setting options. Kim held financial, strategy, and planning roles across utilities, consulting, and the energy sector, including roles with Black Hills Energy, Marathon Oil, and Noble Energy. This cross-sector background gives her a broad view of how financial modeling, regulatory strategy, and capital planning intersect to support growth, reliability, and environmental responsibility. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Wyoming.

Mark Hum

Mark Hum serves as Senior Associate, Communications and Marketing at Clean Power Alliance. He is a marketing and communications strategist with a background in medtech and life sciences, where he supported initiatives spanning multiple industries across both B2B and consumer-facing brands. His work is grounded in a copywriter’s mindset, starting with audience needs and translating complex ideas into clear, compelling stories that build trust and understanding. Mark has led integrated communications across digital, social, email, web, and stakeholder channels, with an emphasis on accessibility, consistency, and measurable impact. He brings a strong appreciation for structure and narrative, ensuring that every message serves a purpose and connects with people in a meaningful way. Mark holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).

Pom Saengxuto

Prapassara “Pom” Saengxuto serves as Finance and Accounting Analyst at CPA. She is a Certified Public Accountant with over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance. Throughout her career, she has worked across a wide range of industries, including public accounting, private corporations, entertainment, manufacturing, consulting and construction. This diverse background allows her to bring a well-rounded and practical perspective to every engagement. Pom is known for her strong dedication, attention to detail, and commitment to accuracy. She works effectively both independently and as part of a team, consistently supporting organizations in making informed, strategic financial decisions. Her approach combines technical expertise with a deep sense of responsibility and professionalism.