Shining a New Light on the Holidays

With the holiday season fast approaching, now is the time to consider switching out your old incandescent holiday lights for modern light-emitting diode (LED) lights. LED technology has been around for years as electronic indicators and easily adjustable signs. However, as higher output LEDs develop, they are being used more frequently in conventional lighting applications as well. From mobile flashlights to automotive headlights, LED lighting is becoming much more common throughout society, including as holiday lights.

LEDs Are More Energy Efficient

When compared to old-fashioned incandescent lights, LED Lights are much more energy-efficient. While the old lights are somewhat brighter, LED Lights consume much less electricity. This can amount to actual savings. Most incandescent holiday light strings use between 12- to 105-kilowatt hours of electricity, whereas similar sized LED strings use between one and three kilowatt hours. In real terms this means that by changing to LED lights, you can potentially save between $ 1 and $ 11 on your electricity bill for every month that your lights are turned on this holiday season.

LEDs Are More Durable

Beyond the savings on your electric bill, LED lights can also save you money because they are much more durable and do not have to be replaced as frequently as incandescent holiday lights. Unlike incandescent lights that create considerable heat (perhaps even dangerous amounts), LED lights stay far cooler, and that’s why they can be enclosed in plastic instead of glass. The result is that LED lights are more durable and are not as easy to break. LED lights will also burn longer than incandescent bulbs. Most incandescent light strings lose at least one bulb after about 1,000 hours of use, whereas LED lights tested by Consumer Reports managed to go for more than 4,000 hours without any of the bulbs burning out.

LEDs Are Also Safer

In that LED holiday lights burn at a much cooler temperature than incandescent ones, they also represent much less of a fire risk. There are some cases of LED recalls due to potential fire hazards, but they had more to do with wiring than the LEDs themselves. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the LED lights you purchase have been tested and certified by a legitimate testing laboratory like Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Intertek (ETL). That said, major insurance companies and product testers agree LED lights are FAR less a risk for fire than incandescent holiday lights.

Look for Incentive Programs

The current trend toward greater energy efficiency has also resulted in two types of incentives meant to encourage you to buy LED holiday lights and both may save you even more money. The first type of incentive is getting offered by some retailers, like Home Depot. Incentives offer discounts to people that buy LED holiday lights and allows stores to capitalize on the trend by actively supporting energy efficient options. Some communities have aggressively taken on energy efficiency also are offering incentives. For example, in Anaheim, California, people who purchase LED holiday lights receive a free gift card to other businesses (Starbucks, Borders, etc.) as an incentive initiated by a local public utilities administration.