When family and friends gather over the holiday season, energy efficiency isn’t typically a hot topic. Perhaps this year it should be. With conversations likely to include affordability, notably the increased cost of groceries, gas and everyday products, energy efficiency provides more than talk. Energy efficiency programs via utility offerings, such as smart thermostats and more efficient A/C units, help combat rising electricity costs and reduce the need to build capital-intensive power plants — saving ratepayers energy and money, year after year after year.