Do string lights use a lot of electricity?

Category: home and garden home entertaining
4.5/5 (629 Views . 41 Votes)
A string of 25 incandescent C9 bulbs — the big plump ones often used outdoors — uses 175 watts of electricity, which works out to a whopping $15.12 to run over a season (assuming 12-hour-a-day operation for 45 days). If you swap those out for LEDs, your electricity cost shrinks to a little over 80 cents.



Subsequently, one may also ask, do fairy lights use a lot of electricity?

Incandescent Christmas lights consume up to 90% more electricity than LEDs and consequently cost considerably more to run. The standard set of Incandescent fairy lights will consume 40W per 100 lights, and may cost the average household $17.79 per 1,000 bulbs through December.

One may also ask, how much electricity does 1 strand of Christmas lights use? The average C9 multicolored outdoor Christmas lights consume around 175 watts per strand of 25 lights. If you have 80 strands of these to cover your trees, that is about 14,000 watts of energy per tree.

Also know, do Christmas lights increase your electric bill?

So, the answer . . . Christmas lights don't have to use a lot of energy. By using LED lights and putting your lights on an automated schedule, you can reduce the cost of holiday lighting to have a minimal impact on your electrical bill.

Can you leave fairy lights on overnight?

'Poor quality lights, overloaded electrical sockets and lights left on overnight, or while you're out of the house, can put your home at risk. Damaged lights wrapped around a dry tree pose a potentially lethal risk.

28 Related Question Answers Found

Can I keep string lights on all night?

Though the CPSC doesn't recommend leaving your Christmas lights on overnight, the television show MythBusters decided to take the question of whether or not leaving Christmas lights on your tree overnight can start a fire, and put it to the test. After just 40 minutes, the tree had heated up to 225 degrees.

Do string lights use less electricity?

Yes! LED lights consume 80-90% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last up to 100,000 hours, versus 3,000 hours for an incandescent. Combine this with the durable construction of LEDs, and savings extend beyond electricity.

Can string lights cause a fire?

Christmas Lights can cause an electrical fire if used irresponsibly. If too many light strings are plugged into a single extension cord, the extension cord can overheat and cause a fire; this is known as a socket overload, or outlet overload.

Are LED fairy lights dangerous?

Use LED lights that are battery powered. This type of fairy light can save energy, and many are just as bright as their mains-powered counterparts. They're also safer, and their bulbs are less likely to get hot. The only downside is you can't use them outside.

Are LED fairy lights a fire hazard?


And because they can get very hot, they are a fire hazard when placed in close proximity to combustible materials, such as trees. This is especially the case with real trees as they dry out. And as such, these lights are not recommended. Luckily, low voltage LED lights are now leading the way.

How do you decorate a room with fairy lights?

13 bedroom fairy lights ideas to make your space completely magical
  1. Sleep under the stars with clever use of fairy lights and floaty fabric.
  2. Make your beauty table *even more* beautiful.
  3. Give shelves an extra je ne sais quois with some little LEDs.
  4. Place lights around your mirror to make a statement.

How long do fairy lights Last?

approximately 5 days

How much does it cost to run a 100 watt light bulb for 24 hours?

A 100 watt light bulb would only use one-tenth of a kWh in one hour. So, a 100-watt bulb would only cost $0.84 per hour if electricity cost $8.40 per kWh. In reality, electricity costs somewhere between $0.05 and $0.50 per kWh.

How much does it cost to run one string of Christmas lights?

A comparable string of C9 LEDs, by contrast, uses just 2.4 watts and costs 21 cents to run over the same period. The price differential for the smaller mini-bulbs is less extreme but still significant: 100 incandescent minis will cost about $3.53 to run for one season, while LED minis will cost just 41 cents.

How much do lights add to electric bill?


In total, the five 60-watt light bulbs represent 4.5 kilowatt hours each day. Multiplied by the national average cost of electricity, you would spend 59 cents to light your home in a single day. Multiply that by 30 to discover that $17.55 of each month's energy bill goes toward those five light bulbs.

Do Christmas lights use alot of electricity?

A string of 25 incandescent C9 bulbs — the big plump ones often used outdoors — uses 175 watts of electricity, which works out to a whopping $15.12 to run over a season (assuming 12-hour-a-day operation for 45 days). If you swap those out for LEDs, your electricity cost shrinks to a little over 80 cents.

How much does it cost to leave Christmas lights on all night?

You probably have at least 10 strands decorating your house and tree. Let's look at the electric cost to plug in 10 strands for a two month period (10-hours per day): LEDs: $20.70. Incandescent Lights: $69.00.

Do Christmas lights use more electricity than light bulbs?

Yes! LED lights consume 80-90% less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last up to 100,000 hours, versus 3,000 hours for an incandescent.

Do Christmas lights burn a lot of electricity?

So, the answer . . . Christmas lights don't have to use a lot of energy. By using LED lights and putting your lights on an automated schedule, you can reduce the cost of holiday lighting to have a minimal impact on your electrical bill.

What time should you turn off Christmas lights?


For many around the world, January 5 or 6 marks the Epiphany ? the final day of the 12 days of Christmas and the time for all holiday decorations to come down. For others, the second week of January is a typical time for the holiday lights to be unplugged and stored away until next year.

Why is my electric bill so high?

One of the main reasons your electric bill may be high is that you leave your appliances or electronics plugged in whether you're using them or not. Anything with a clock, such as microwave ovens and coffee makers — and even older technologies, like VCRs — need power to keep time while turned off.

Is it expensive to run Christmas lights?

A string of 25 incandescent C9 bulbs — the big plump ones often used outdoors — uses 175 watts of electricity, which works out to a whopping $15.12 to run over a season (assuming 12-hour-a-day operation for 45 days). If you swap those out for LEDs, your electricity cost shrinks to a little over 80 cents.