Have you ever walked past the house at the end of the street that is decked with hundreds of Christmas lights and thought, ‘wow, it’s beautiful but… how much would be their electricity bill?’
With rising costs of electricity, it’s natural to wonder if those beautiful string and fairy Christmas lights are going to cost you a small fortune?
Most people do not even decorate their house due to this reason. They believe that Christmas lights drain lots of energy and highly impact their electricity bill. But have you ever thought that what are the most energy efficient ways to light up your holiday season? How to keep energy usage in check during this festive season? Well, don’t worry.
Today we will guide you about how much electricity do Christmas lights use and much more. Stay tuned and do not miss the end to get exact idea about the actual power they consume.
3 Most Popular Lights Used in Christmas Season:
Before we dive into ‘do Christmas lights use a lot of electricity’, its important to discuss some important facts and types of lights so you can understand which type of lights are commonly used and how much electricity do they consume.
- Incandescent Lights: Traditional incandescent Christmas lights are the popular choice and have been around for years. Incandescent lights are made with a thin filament inside. Now this filament glows beautifully when electricity passes through it. These lights are best known for their soft, warm, and romantic glow, but unfortunately, they are not so cost-effective option.
- LED Lights: Undoubtedly, LED lights have become a favorite choice for most homeowners during Christmas. LEDs use a very unique technology to produce light. It consumes less energy while providing the same brightness level. LEDs are considered durable, long-lasting, and perhaps the best way to reduce energy costs.
- CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lights): These types of lights are less expensive than LEDs. However, you can still find them in different areas. CFLs are less energy efficient than incandescent bulbs, but they are not as less costly as LEDs.
How Much Does It Cost to Run Christmas Lights Per Hour?
Now there is another concern, how much power do Christmas lights use per hour?
Well, the hourly cost of Christmas lights depends on both the type of lighting you choose for the occasion and its wattage. Let’s take an example. A 100-bulb incandescent light bulb basically consumes about 60 watts which means it will cost 0.72 cents per hour to run ($0.12 per kilowatt hour according to average electricity prices).
Now if you compare that to a 100-bulb steel with LED lights, you may find it uses only 6 watts, which can cost about 0.07 cents an hour Although incandescent lights can be high on electricity bills inside though LED lights offer a much more affordable and energy efficient option for holiday lighting.
How Much Does It Cost to Run Christmas Lights for a Month?
If you’re planning to keep the Christmas lights on for a month, it’s important to have a rough idea of electricity costs – which largely depend on the type of lighting you use and the number of hours you keep it on each day. For example, if you run a 100-bulb incandescent strand for 6 hours a day, you will consume about 10.8 kilowatt hours per month, which means you will have to pay $1.30 for an average of $0.12 per kilowatt hour
On the other hand, an LED string with 100 bulbs running at the same time would use only 1.08 kWh, at a cost of $0.13 for the entire month
So, LEDs are slightly more expensive with the total cost of many wires still being much lower than incandescent alternatives. By switching to LED, you can significantly reduce your electricity bill during the holidays.
How to Calculate the Electricity Usage of Christmas Lights?
Does Christmas lights use a lot of electricity? Well, you can determine how to calculate the exact usage by following these steps.
- In the first step, you need to find the wattage of your Christmas lights
- Now, let’s consider how many hours your light will be on each day.
- To check how much power the Christmas lights use, multiply the watt hours by the number of hours to get the watt hours.
- Then, multiply the watt-hours by the number of days the lights will be on.
- And then, convert to kilowatt-hours by dividing all watt-hours by 1,000.
- In the second last step, check your electricity bill per kilowatt-hour.
- Finally, multiply the kilowatt-hours by the number to find the total cost of running the lights.
We hope that now you will be analyzing how much energy do Christmas lights use. In case, you are still not sure then it’s recommended to consult with Trimlight Austin South where professionals will help you determine what types of lights should you use and how much electricity does Christmas lights use.
Do LED Christmas Lights Use a Lot of Electricity?
The question is, do Christmas light use a lot of energy?
LED Christmas lights do not use much electricity in comparison to incandescent lighting. Here is a brief evaluation of LED Christmas lights.
- Less Energy intake: LED lights use nearly 80–90% much less strength than incandescent bulbs.
- Good Lifespan: LED lighting can last up to 100,000 hours, at the same time as incandescent bulbs last about 3,000 hours.
- Cost Effective in Long Run: LED lighting fixtures may additionally have better price than incandescent lighting, however they’re more cost- effective in the long run.
Conclusion – How Much Energy Do Christmas Lights Use?
So, how much electricity does Christmas lights use? Well, honestly it depends type of lights you use as well as how long you keep them on. If you have used traditional incandescent lights, you must know that they use quite high amount of electricity, while LEDs are quite energy-efficient comparatively, so they are very pocket-friendly alternative that might save you a significant amount over Christmas season.
Always make smart decisions about the type of lights you use, how long you keep them on, and how will you save energy on these lights. After these considerations, you can surely enjoy an energy-conscious holiday season.
Especially when you get help from Trimlight Austin South, you can simply double the happiness of occasion. The experts help you by providing custom, energy-efficient LED lighting systems which is specifically designed to last longer and consume less power, making them a great option for holiday decorations.
Happy decorating!
