This week families are putting finishing touches to their Christmas trees. Many have light strings they’ve had for many years. Stored away until this time of year, the lights are often old incandescent light bulbs that illuminate their tree. This might be the right time to switch over to LEDs if you haven’t done so already. LED Christmas tree bulbs use up to 75 percent less energy than their incandescent counterparts and last up to 25 times longer.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an LED light string is so tough that a family could still be using the same set 40 years from now. Buying and operating incandescent C-9 lights for 10 holiday seasons would cost an estimated $122.19 compared to just $17.99 for a string of LED C-9 lights. Widespread LED use across the U.S. by 2027 could save $30 billion and 348 TWh of electricity, equivalent to 44 large power power plants (1,000 megawatts each).
This chart shows the estimated cost of buying and operating Christmas lights.
