It’s natural for homeowners to ask themselves, “How much electricity do Christmas lights use?” Though your holiday decorations probably won’t cause a power shortage the way Clark Griswold’s did in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, managing electricity costs can still be a challenge this time of year. While lighting your home has a noticeable impact on your energy bills, following these cost-saving tips will help keep total costs under control without diminishing your holiday cheer.
Holiday Light Wattage
The amount of power consumed by a string of Christmas lights depends on two factors: the type of lights and the number of lights. Indoor lights are small and have relatively low rates of power consumption, while outdoor lights are large with comparatively higher rates. What’s more, light strings aren’t sold in uniform lengths. Size varies according to function. Outdoor lights are larger and generally have fewer lights per string than indoor ones. But while these are both important considerations, they play a minor role compared to the basic hardware inside each light bulb.
LED vs. Incandescent Bulbs
For the past several years, manufacturers have been phasing out traditional, incandescent lights and replacing them with Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Incandescent light bulbs produce light by running electricity through a wire filament, while LED lights produce it by running electricity through a semiconductor chip, which causes its electrons to release a small amount of energy.
LEDs use 75-90 percent less energy than incandescents and last for approximately 100,000 hours, compared to around 3,000 for an incandescent, making them the most efficient way to light your home not only during the holiday season, but year-round. Purchasing LED bulbs leads to significant energy savings, allowing you to light your home from top to bottom without using a lot of electricity. Here are the power requirements for the most common LED Christmas lights.
- Mini Lights. Also known as M5 lights, they’re the type of lights normally found on Christmas trees. A string of mini lights uses around 4-5 watts of electricity and contains around 100 lights.
- Icicle Lights. Made from light strings that hang in varying lengths to mimic icicles. The largest strings contain significantly more bulbs than a string of mini lights (300 vs. 100, in some cases) and use 12-24 watts.
- C6 Lights. With a rounded base and tapered top, these lights are typically used outdoors to light homes, gardens, and bushes. Each string contains around 50 lights and consumes about 5 watts.
- C7 Lights. Larger than C6 lights, but similar in shape, a C7 string contains around 25 lights and consumes 3-4 watts.
- C9 Lights. The largest Christmas lights. Each strand contains 25 lights and consumes roughly the same amount of power as C7 lights.
How Many Strings of Lights Do You Need?
In order to calculate the total watts consumed by your Christmas decorations, you’ll need to know how many it’ll take to decorate your home. Use the following estimations to work out the approximate number.
- Trees. A Christmas tree requires one strand for every one-and-a-half feet. A six-foot tree requires four strands (400 lights), while a nine foot tree requires six (600 lights).
- Windows and Doors. A single width window requires one 16-foot strand of outdoor lights. Lighting a standard door frame requires the same, while a double door requires two.
- Columns and Pillars. A seven foot column requires strands of lights around 32 feet long. That’s one strand of mini lights or two strands of C9 lights. Thick columns may require more while thin ones require less.
- Railings. Light strands are normally sold in lengths of 32, 24, 18, and 16 feet. Simply measure the railing you want to light and buy accordingly.
- Bushes. The best way to light bushes is with a light net, which contains 100-150 lights. They generally use mini lights, which means power usage is 4-5 watts per net. A typical net is 4×6 feet, which means that one or two are normally all that’s required for each bush in your yard.
Calculating Energy Costs
Once you’ve worked out the number of strands and the type of lights you’ll be using, calculating your energy bill is relatively straightforward. Electricity charges are based on kilowatt hours (kWh). An ordinary, 100-watt light bulb uses one kWh every sixty minutes. To work out how many kWh your Christmas lights use, add up the wattage of your decorations. Then divide by 1,000 to convert it into kWh. Now multiply by the number of hours you keep them on each day. Put simply:
Wattage ÷ 1000 x Hours = Electricity Usage
Finally, multiply your electricity usage by your electricity rate and the number of days you plan to keep them up in order to figure out how much your holiday decorations will cost you. It’s often surprisingly little, if you light your home with LEDs – less than $50 in most cases.
How to Improve Energy Efficiency
For homeowners concerned about their electric bill, there are several other ways to control energy usage during the holidays. Only switch your lights on after dark and turn them off when you go to bed. Timers are another solution. They activate and deactivate your lights automatically, even when you’re away from home. When you’re at home, try turning down the other lights in your house while the tree is lit. Since the tree is a light source, let it illuminate the space instead. For more information about saving energy during winter, read our full list of energy saving tips!
Save on Home Repairs with Agway
Both indoor and outdoor Christmas lights need a reliable electrical system in order to function effectively. Internal wiring experiences a lot of wear and tear during the holidays. Home insurance doesn’t cover this type of damage, but Agway does. Our EnergyGuard™ home repair program protects your heating, cooling, and electrical systems with fast, responsive, and professional service.
When the need for repair occurs, our customers don’t waste time hunting around for a qualified repairman. They call us instead. We maintain a network of local HVAC contractors and will send the first available one straight to your door. There are no service fees or deductibles either. Our team pays for the visit and all covered parts. Sign up today and start saving with Agway EnergyGuard™!
