Should I Get LED Xmas Lights?

Christmas lights are a traditional part of holiday decorating.

Upfront Cost of LED Christmas Lights

LED Christmas lights have a larger upfront cost as they are generally more expensive than traditional lights.

Long-Term Cost and Environmental Impact

LED Christmas lights use less electricity, reduce pollution and run cooler than traditional lights. Each LED light bulb is 90 percent more efficient than its incandescent counterpart.

Bottom Line

While they are more expensive initially, LED Christmas lights provide a great savings in electricity. An LED light bulb only uses .04 watts of energy. "So a household burning 10 strands of lights for eight hours a day for a month at $0.0853 per kilowatt-hour would spend $127.67 for large, incandescent bulbs, $7.20 for traditional mini-lights, and just $0.72 for LEDs. These newer bulbs are sturdy, last up to 100,000 hours, or 20 years, and barely warm up, eliminating fire concerns," says the Alliance to Save Energy.

References

• Alliance to Save Energy
• Environmental Defense Fund