Decorating homes and businesses with Christmas lights is a common tradition in many parts of the United States. It is often seen as a way to spread holiday cheer and add a festive touch to the season. Some people go all out with their decorations, while others opt for a more subtle approach.
Using Christmas lights can increase a household’s energy consumption, although the exact amount will depend on a number of factors, such as the type and number of lights used, how long they are left on, and the efficiency of the lights.
How Much Electricity Do Christmas Lights Use
One study estimated that the average American household uses 40 Christmas lights and leaves them on for a total of five hours per day during the holiday season. This can result in the use of around 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity over the course of a month. This is equivalent to the amount of electricity that an average home uses in two weeks and can result in an increase in electricity bills of around $5 to $10 per month.
When comparing outdoor Christmas decorations, most people use 1-3 wreaths and a garland, along with 10 strings of lights, to decorate their trees. This only results in a minimal increase in electrical usage, with incandescent bulbs costing around $10.78 and LED lights costing around $1.63.
Those who go all out with their Christmas decorations often line their roofs and driveways with lights, add a wreath to the front door, outline their walkways with lighted trees, and wrap one to two trees with lights as well. This level of decorating can significantly increase power consumption, so it’s a good idea to calculate your usage ahead of time to avoid any unexpected costs.
Calculating Your Electricity Usage
To determine how much additional electricity your home is using at Christmas time, you can follow these steps.
- Determine the wattage of your Christmas lights. Most light strands will have the wattage listed on the packaging or on a label attached to the cord. If you can’t find this information, you can use a device called a wattmeter to measure the wattage of your lights.
- Estimate the total number of hours your Christmas lights will be on. This will depend on your personal preferences and how long you want to leave your lights on each day.
- Multiply the wattage of your lights by the number of hours they will be on to calculate the total number of watt-hours they will use. For example, if your lights have a wattage of 100 and you plan to leave them on for 10 hours per day, they will use 1,000 watt-hours per day.
- Multiply the total number of watt-hours by the number of days you plan to leave your lights on to calculate the total number of watt-hours for the entire holiday season. For example, if you plan to leave your lights on for 30 days, they will use 30,000 watt-hours in total.
- Divide the total number of watt-hours by 1,000 to convert them to kilowatt-hours, which is the unit of measurement used by your electricity provider. For example, the lights in the example above would use 30 kilowatt-hours.
- Check your electricity bill to find out how much you are charged per kilowatt-hour. This information should be listed on your bill, and it may vary depending on the time of day and other factors.
- Multiply the number of kilowatt-hours used by your lights by the cost per kilowatt-hour to calculate the total cost of using your Christmas lights. For example, if your electricity provider charges $0.10 per kilowatt-hour, the lights in the example above would cost $3.00 to use for the entire holiday season.
By following these steps, you can estimate the impact of your Christmas lights on your electricity bill and make any necessary adjustments to reduce your energy usage and save money.
Ways To Make Your Lights More Efficient
There are several incentives to make your Christmas light usage more efficient this year. One reason is to save money on their electricity bills. Christmas lights can use a lot of electricity, especially if they are left on for long periods of time. By making their usage more efficient, you can save on your energy costs and reduce your bills for the month of December.
Additionally, limiting your energy usage at Christmas will reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment. Christmas lights generate a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. By making your usage more efficient, you can help to reduce your impact on the environment and support sustainable practices.
Finally, making Christmas light usage more efficient can help to prevent fires and other safety hazards. Christmas lights can generate a lot of heat, and if they are left on for too long, they can start to overheat and potentially cause a fire. By making their usage more efficient, you can help prevent accidents and keep your home and family safe during the holiday season. Here are some ways you can make your energy usage at Christmas time more efficient and safe.
Turn Them Off Earlier
When you leave any light in your home on longer than you are using it, it continues to use more electricity without actually benefiting you at all. In the same way, when you leave your Christmas lights on all night or into the late hours when no one is really driving by to see them, you are wasting electricity.
It is generally best to turn Christmas lights off for the night when you go to bed or when you will be away from home for an extended period of time. This can help to save energy and reduce the risk of a fire. If you are using a timer or a smart outlet to control your Christmas lights, you can set them to turn off automatically at a certain time. This can help to ensure that your lights are not left on unnecessarily and that they are turned off when you are not at home.
Choose The Right Light Bulbs
Christmas lights can use more or less electricity than a regular light bulb, depending on the type of light and the wattage of the bulbs. Incandescent Christmas lights, which are the most common type, are generally not very energy-efficient and can use a significant amount of electricity. For example, a standard incandescent light bulb might have a wattage of 40 watts, while a strand of incandescent Christmas lights might have a wattage of 100-150 watts. This means that the Christmas lights would use 2.5-3.75 times more electricity than the light bulb.
On the other hand, LED Christmas lights are much more energy-efficient and can use significantly less electricity than regular light bulbs. For example, a strand of LED Christmas lights might have a wattage of only 25-50 watts, which is less than the wattage of a standard light bulb. This means that the LED lights would use less electricity than a regular light bulb and could help save money on your electricity bill.
