The villages and neighborhoods on the island are decorated with festive lights to make this Christmas brighter. But is there such a thing as too many lights? The Guam Electricity Authority reminds residents to keep their lights and decorations as safe as possible. GPA Utility Services Administrator James Borja shared safety tips to make Christmas cheaper and safer.

"We are now seeing more and more LED lighting. In general, it is safer than traditional incandescent lamps," he said. Therefore, switching to LED Christmas lights has some advantages. LED Christmas lights are brighter than traditional incandescent lamps, have a longer service life and consume less energy, and LED Christmas lights can connect up to 40-50 string lights, depending on the number of lights. "Generally speaking, if you can go directly to the socket, it is better. If you must use a power strip, limit the number of your lights and try to avoid plugging the extension cord into the power strip," Borja added road. 

 As for keeping the Christmas tree safe, Acting Communications Manager Joyce Sayama told us how and provided more safety tips about outdoor lighting. "When buying an artificial tree, you look for a fire-resistant label. Although this label does not mean that the tree will not catch fire, it does indicate that the tree will resist burning and should be extinguished quickly," she said. "And we also like our outdoor lights, outdoor use, those outdoor lights. What you want to do is to securely fix the outdoor lights to trees, house walls or other strong and supportive protective devices to protect these lights. Use insulated staples to fix the string lights in place. Do not use nails or tacks. You want to run your string lights through hooks.” Borja added that residents should not forget to turn off all Christmas lights and decorations before going to bed. It is also encouraged to set a timer on the light. He said: "You have to make sure to turn it off before leaving the house to ensure that nothing will catch fire or explode or short circuit." "Especially the lights. If there are too many lights, there may be a tripping fuse. A short circuit may cause an electrical fire. ." GPA would like to remind their customers that if they receive any calls to pay for utilities, please report them immediately. Borja confirmed that GPA will not contact customers to request payment. If you receive such a call, please contact (671)647-5787 or send an email to customerfirst@gpagwa.com.