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FYI A Better Way to Light Up the Holidays FYI
A Better Way to Light Up the Holidays
Holiday lights may help bring joy to the season, but they can also bring added costs to
your energy bill. This year, save energy and money by purchasing energy-efficient LED
(light-emitting diode) strands to decorate your home or business.
Standard incandescent holiday lights and even mini-lights can use a significant
amount of energy and regularly involve costly (and irritating) bulb replacements. LED
lights are more durable theyre shatterproof and shock resistant and have a life
span of more than 50,000 hours. The LED lights available this year have a great new
feature to bring even more long-term savings: If one bulb burns out, the other bulbs will
stay lit so you can easily identify and replace the bad bulb. LED light strings may initially
cost more than conventional lights but more than pay for themselves within a season or
two, depending on how often they are used.
Compare the Costs
The following chart compares the energy usage and operating cost of LED holiday lights
to both mini and large incandescent holiday lamps in your home.
# of
Lights

Type of Light
Energy Usage of
Bulb

225 Hours*
(5 hours per day for 45
days)

Average Operating
Cost*

300

New LED
Lights

0.043 watts

2.9 kW/h

$ .47

300

Mini
Incandescent

0.45 watts

30.38 kW/h

$ 4.92

300

Large
Incandescent

7.00 watts

472.5 kW/h

$ 76.55

* Calculated using the average residential rate effective
September 1, 2006.

LED holiday light strings are available at:

Costco

Longs Drugs Stores

Lowes

Target

Selected hardware stores and online companies Sets vary in cost depending on the style or number of lights on a strand. For example, a
string of 35 LED lights costs from $8 to $10, while a string of 100 LED lights retails for
$10 to $15.
LED technology produces light in a completely different way than incandescent lamps.
While incandescent lamps emit light by heating a filament and produce waste heat in the
process, LED lights are illuminated solely by the movement of electrons in a
semiconductor material. Because they produce almost no heat, LED holiday lights
present a greatly reduced risk of fire hazard over traditional incandescent strands and
are safe to touch without worrying about burning your hands.
Lighting Safety Preparation

Before you string outdoor lights, check for overhead power lines. Dont place yourself or
any object in a position where you or it may come in contact with a power line the
result can be fatal. Look up before raising ladders or other objects. Keep at least 10 feet
away from overhead lines.

Make sure lights used to decorate the outside of the house are approved for outdoor use.
Never use indoor lights outdoors.

If stringing lights on outdoor trees, make sure tree limbs havent grown into or near
power lines. Branches or entire trees can become energized if they contact a power line.

Check all light strands for cracked or broken plugs, frayed insulation, or bare wires.
Worn cords can cause fires. Discard damaged sets of lights.

Route cords inside your home so they wont trip anyone. Dont place them under rugs,
furniture, or other appliances. If covered, cords can overheat or become frayed and can
cause a fire.

Follow the manufacturers limits for number of strings that can safely be connected
together.

Always turn off tree and decorative lights indoors and outdoors when leaving the
house and before going to bed.