It’s officially the Christmas season, and many of us have already begun adorning our homes with trees draped in fairy lights, twinkling with the promise of joy to come.
As pretty as they are, seasonal decorations like Christmas tree lights, can unexpectedly contribute to higher energy bills.
While they add a magical touch, weaving a tapestry of seasonal glow, the impact they make on household energy bills in the winter can be significant.
Stephen Hankinson, an energy efficiency expert at Electric Radiators Direct, has shared his advice on creating a festive atmosphere without breaking the bank.
His tips focus on maintaining the joy of the season while still being able to keep the extra expense manageable.
The energy expert has shared one specific and super simple tip that can reduce the running cost of your Christmas lights by as much as 65% – and it’ll take you less than 10 seconds to do.
Stephen said: “Switching your Christmas lights to a different setting could reduce their energy usage by as much as two thirds.
“The most budget-friendly option is the ‘twinkling-flashing’ setting, which costs around 16p to operate for six hours (which is a typical duration each day). On the other hand, the priciest settings are “On” and “Sequential,” both costing about 46p for the same daily usage.”
Using an energy calculator based on wattage and daily usage, he added: “This means that, on the most expensive setting, a single strand of around 100 lights will cost you about £16.56 to run between December 1 and January 5.”
Based on these figures, the energy expert warned that very festive households who have multiple sets of lights both inside and outside the home, could be adding as much as a £100 to their energy bills at Christmas time.
Stephen also shared some other useful tips to keep costs down, when running lights over Christmas. His top three are:
Cut down the number of lights you have
By simply removing even one 20-foot strand of 100 bulbs from your festive decorations, you could save approximately £6 on your December energy bill (based on six hours of daily use).
Switch to LED from incandescent
Switching to energy-efficient LED lights, which use up to 90% less energy and last longer, can significantly reduce running costs and cut household energy usage by a third year-round.
Try automated timers
Using timer plugs for Christmas lights ensures energy efficiency by automating on/off times, preventing wastage during daylight or overnight hours.
