May your days be cheery and bright
LED bulbs and decorations are highly efficient and can be used indoors and out, but not all LEDs are created equal. For the best value and highest quality look for Energy Star-rated decorations.
Q: My husband and I love decorating our home with holiday lights every year, but I feel guilty about the higher energy bill we get in January. How can we light up the holidays without wasting electricity?
A: One of the best ways to save money without dampening your holiday spirit is to invest in LED holiday lights and ornaments, which use about 80 percent less energy than decorations containing incandescent bulbs.
The exact amount of money you can save depends on a lot of factors, including your electric rate and how many hours your holiday lights are turned on. We’ve seen a number of savings estimates. One report said that replacing five strings of traditional incandescent outdoor lights with LED bulbs could lower your bill from about $14 to 22 cents. Another report said that replacing incandescent lights on a typical indoor tree with LED bulbs could lower your monthly cost from $15 to $2.
The reason incandescent bulbs are so inefficient is that at least 90 percent of their energy is converted into heat, not light. LEDs, by contrast, convert virtually all their energy to light. This means up to 20 strings of LED lights can be linked together, whereas incandescent sets are typically limited to between three and five strings in a chain. The efficiency of LED lights also makes them safer because they generate so much less heat.
Aside from their energy efficiency, LED lights can last longer—around 200,000 hours or more, which is about 25 times longer than incandescent lights. Another advantage: The bulb is more durable because it is made of an epoxy instead of glass.
But not all LEDs are created equal. An LED that is not designed properly can flicker, change color or draw power even when it’s turned off. To avoid these problems, purchase Energy Star-rated LEDs. To qualify for this rating, LED products must use 75 percent less energy than incandescent lighting and pass a number of additional tests.
The drawback of switching over to LED lights is the upfront cost. Incandescent bulbs can be purchased for 19 to 50 cents each, while a replacement LED will likely cost $1 or more. But one estimate we ran across showed the estimated cost of buying and operating standard C-9 lights for 10 seasons is $122 for incandescent bulbs and $18 for LEDs. Plus, the LED lighting is more likely to last the full 10 seasons, meaning fewer trips to the store!
There are other ways to cut energy expenses. You can use decorative solar light sets, which store energy during the day and release light during the night. Timers are also a good idea because they can reduce energy use, especially if you don’t always remember to turn the lights off before bedtime.
Send questions to Energy Q&A, South Carolina Living, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce, SC 29033, or email energyqa@scliving.coop.
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Tips for decorating with LEDs
• Color-changing LED lights can cycle through the colors in sequence and can even be set to change colors in response to music.
• You can recreate the excitement of a laser light show using LED lights by installing a smart lighting system that creates pre-set or programmable light shows through your smart phone or other devices.
• For maximum effect with the smallest amount of energy use, try distributing the lighting across a broader space. In the spaces between light, add reflective ornaments and decorations to increase the effect of the lights and add interest.