Christmas Lights Power Consumption - Christmas Lights, Etc (2023)

FAQs

Do Xmas lights use a lot of electricity? ›

A: The short answer to this is no. Modern Christmas lights use LEDs rather than filament bulbs which are less energy efficient, and even a fairly comprehensive outdoor Christmas lights display is likely to cost less than the cost of a burger and fries to power for an entire month.

So, how much electricity do Christmas lights use? Your display size and choice of bulbs, whether incandescent or LED, will influence your energy bill the most. For example, a 100-count string of incandescent mini lights runs at 40 watts, while a 70 count of 5mm Wide Angle LEDs is approximately 4.8 watts total.

You might remember that comparing incandescent vs LED Christmas lights, LEDs are approximately 7 times more efficient, meaning that the LED Christmas lights wattage would be approximately 7-times lower. That brings our electricity cost for the season down to $31 and to a mere $1 a day!

Incandescent bulbs will look incredible, but will take 2,100 watts to power. LED bulbs will also look impressive, but will only require 29 watts.

If Christmas lights are left on for too long, they can get hot and become a fire hazard. For this reason, turn your lights off when you go to sleep or leave your home, says Sharon Cooksey, fire safety educator at Kidde.

The US Department of Energy stated that the holiday lighting consumes over six terawatts of energy per year, which is equivalent to the total monthly energy consumption by around 500,000 homes. This is 500,000 homes yearly just for the usage of Christmas lights!

For example, you can expect to pay between $20 and $40 for a 300-light LED set, while a 300-light incandescent set can be purchased for less than $10. However, the power consumption of these 300 incandescent lights is around 72 watts, while the LED bulbs consume around 15 watts.

Average decorations with incandescent lights: $33 increase. Elaborate decorations using LED lights: $47 increase. Elaborate decorations using incandescent lights: $350 increase.

The national average cost of running Christmas lights in 2022 is $16.48. That's 13% higher than the 2021 national average, an increase of $1.93.

This flicker is still far too rapid to be seen directly, but some people can see multiple images of the lamps every time they make a saccade, which is unpleasantly distracting. The flickering of these LEDs may limit the uptake of the bulbs, just as many people dislike energy-saving fluorescent lamps.

What are the best energy saving Christmas lights? ›

LED Christmas lights consume between 80 and 90 per cent less energy than their incandescent counterparts, and they last more than three times the lifespan of your incandescent strand. Compared to 3,000 hours, LED Christmas lights last up to 100,000 hours, and they are a lot less fragile (and less dangerous) too.

LEDs consume far less electricity than incandescent bulbs, and decorative LED light strings such as Christmas tree lights are no different.

Based on these calculations, the 100 ft section of the C9 light line would draw 6.09 amps.

LEDs use around 75% less energy than conventional light bulbs to produce similar brightness levels. This makes them not only eco-friendly but also cheaper in the long run since they will end up saving you a significant amount on your electricity bills.

While it might seem like a festive treat for the neighbors, it could lead to problems for your home and electricity over time. Before leaving lights on, check the label to determine whether the bulbs and wattage can handle a long night of illumination. Generally, we recommend turning them off before bed.

When should I take down my Christmas lights? Obviously, you're safe to leave your Christmas lights up and on through New Year's Day an early January, but etiquette says to take them down before Three Kings Day (January 6th).

Turn off your Christmas lights before bed and when you leave the house. If Christmas lights are left on for too long, they can get hot and become a fire hazard. For this reason, Sharon Cooksey, fire safety educator at Kidde, says to turn your lights off when you go to sleep or leave your home.

Don't use nails, screws or tacks to hang lights. Use extension cords that are rated for the environment where you're hanging them and electrical load you're putting on them. Don't overload electrical sockets. Don't put extension cords where they can be walked on or tripped over.

LEDs (Light Emitting Diode)

There are various energy efficient bulbs on the market, however LEDs offer the most energy efficiency. Compared to traditional bulbs, LEDs require 90% less energy to emit light, and are known for producing bright lights.

How can I make Christmas less wasteful? ›

At an average of 0.45 watts per bulb, that's a total of 292.5 watts — or roughly 0.29 kilowatts — that the pre-lit tree uses at any time. Let's say you turn on your tree in the evening and leave it on overnight, so it's on for an average of 12 hours every day throughout the month of December.

If you have an electric rate of 20 cents per kilowatt-hour, then you can save about 1.2 cents when you turned off a light bulb per hour.

Light bulbs and fixtures can form about 25-30% of your monthly bill. You're being charged every single time that someone turns on a light in your house; and you're charged for every single minute (or less) that the light stays on.

The cost depending on your bulbs

The average cost of the energy used over those hours is about $6.00. 43W Halogen: Slightly less expensive than incandescent lighting, 1,000 hours of halogen still amounts to a pretty hefty fee of nearly $5.00.

Let's say you have a 60-watt incandescent lightbulb and you are paying 12 cents per kWh of energy. Leaving the bulb on the whole day will therefore cost you: 0.06 (60 watts / 1000) kilowatts x 24 hours x 12 cents = approximately 20 cents in one day.

According to Energy Star, the average home has 40 light bulbs. The cost to light your home accounts for about 20 percent of your electric bill, costing the average homeowner $200 per year.

One disadvantage of LEDs is the high initial cost per bulb. Over time, however, LED lights will pay for themselves through energy savings and incredibly long lifespans. Bulbs from various manufacturers may appear noticeably different in terms of their white light hues, so choose a well-known brand.

Blue light, the type of bright light that comes from natural sunlight and the LCD/LED screens of our electronic devices, can boost our attention, reaction times and moods during the day. But at night, it disrupts our biological clocks and makes our bodies think we should stay awake when all we need is sleep.

What is the major disadvantage of LED lights? ›

Perhaps the biggest drawback of LED light bulbs is that they emit more blue light than incandescent bulbs, which are more on the red end of the spectrum. Blue light can cause a disruption in your circadian rhythm, negatively affect your ability to fall asleep and the quality of your sleep.

LED bulbs. Generally, the most energy efficient lighting technology you can buy for your home is the Light Emitting Diode (LED). A quality LED produces the most light with the least electricity.

Light Emitting Diodes (LED)

LED's in white light hold the greatest potential for the future of all the common lighting types as they are one of today's most energy efficient and rapidly growing technologies.

Pro - The first obvious benefit of battery operated Christmas lights is that they are energy efficient and money saving. Without having to plug in multiple sets of lights you will be saving money on electrics and saving those extra pennies is always handy at Christmas time.

As lighting accounts for around 15 per cent of home electricity usage, turning off your lights can play a part in reducing your energy use.

Lighting accounts for around 15% of an average home's electricity use, and the average household saves about $225 in energy costs per year by using LED lighting. if you are still using incandescent light bulbs, switching to energy-efficient lighting is one of the fastest ways to cut your energy bills.

Incandescent Mini Light Sets use 3 amp fuses. Heavy Duty light sets 5V use 3 amp fuses. C7, C9 light sets use 5 amp fuses.

Since each string is 40.8 watts, we know that each string needs 0.34 amps (40.8÷120). Five of those together is 1.7 amps. The power strip has 6 plugs on it. 1.7 x 6 = 10.2 amps.

Most residential circuits can carry 15 or 20 amps, which means you would need to plug at least 90 strands of LED lights into a single circuit before you reach the tripping point.

Do Christmas lights take up a lot of electricity? ›

A string of 25 incandescent C9 bulbs — the big plump ones often used outdoors — uses 175 watts of electricity, which works out to a whopping $15.12 to run over a season (assuming 12-hour-a-day operation for 45 days).

So, how much electricity do Christmas lights use? Your display size and choice of bulbs, whether incandescent or LED, will influence your energy bill the most. For example, a 100-count string of incandescent mini lights runs at 40 watts, while a 70 count of 5mm Wide Angle LEDs is approximately 4.8 watts total.

If Christmas lights are left on for too long, they can get hot and become a fire hazard. For this reason, turn your lights off when you go to sleep or leave your home, says Sharon Cooksey, fire safety educator at Kidde.

So the bottom line is that if one bulb goes out, but it's still intact, then yes, the light set will stay lit. But if the LED lens is significantly cracked or damaged, then anywhere from half to the full set will go out.

Christmas tree lights should not be left on for prolonged periods of time or overnight. Even LED lights can overheat, and with a combination of a dry Christmas tree, could cause a fire. Make it a habit to turn off your Christmas lights every time you leave the house or go to bed at night.

Switch to LED Christmas lights

Switching to LED Christmas lights can cost you as little as around 0.0002p per hour to run, equating to just 1 penny per week when left on for 6 hours a day. This is based on a string of 100 LED lights, like these LED Chaser Christmas Lights from Amazon priced at £8 (opens in new tab).

The national average cost of running Christmas lights in 2022 is $16.48. That's 13% higher than the 2021 national average, an increase of $1.93.

The manufacturer states power of 6 W or 0.006 kW. If you run your lights with a timer from 15 December to 5 January, from 4 p.m. to midnight, that's 21 d x 8 h = 168 hours. Your fairy lights consume 0.006 kWh per hour. Over the entire period, they will therefore consume 168 x 0.006 kWh = 1.008 kWh.

Normal Night light Uses Most Electricity

That may not seem like much, but if you have multiple incandescent night lights running all year long, it can add up and you're likely going to notice a difference in your electric bill.

How much does it cost to leave an outside light on all night UK? ›

That equates to wasting £0.77 for every eight hour's shut eye, £23.42 a month and £281.05 a year.

Switching your traditional Christmas lights out with newer LED Christmas lights can save you a surprising amount of money. If you have a typical modest Christmas display on your home, your energy costs would be approximately $10-$15 for incandescent lights, or around $2 for LEDs for the holiday season.

How much electricity does a rope light use? LED rope lights consume approximately 1 watt per foot of lighting. In contrast, an incandescent rope light uses 3 watts per foot. LED rope lights also have longer working lives, roughly four times the life span of their incandescent counterparts.

Let's say you have a 60-watt incandescent lightbulb and you are paying 12 cents per kWh of energy. Leaving the bulb on the whole day will therefore cost you: 0.06 (60 watts / 1000) kilowatts x 24 hours x 12 cents = approximately 20 cents in one day.

As a homeowner, turning the lights off when you're not using them can help save money by reducing your electricity bills, extend the life of your light bulbs, and buy bulbs less often. Turning your lights off is essential when you go out of your room for a few minutes. Doing so can make your home more energy-efficient.