How Many Watts do Christmas Lights Use?
| Bulb Type | Wattage per Bulb | Cost of Powering 10, 100-bulb strands (a ... |
| Incandescent mini light | .41 | $10.33 |
| Incandescent C7 (2”) light | 5 | $126.00 |
| Incandescent C9 (3”) light | 7 | $176.40 |
| LED mini light | .07 | $1.76 |
| Bulb Type | Wattage per Bulb | Cost of Powering 10, 100-bulb strands (at avg. $0.12/kWh)* |
|---|---|---|
| Incandescent mini light | .41 | $10.33 |
| Incandescent C7 (2”) light | 5 | $126.00 |
| Incandescent C9 (3”) light | 7 | $176.40 |
| LED mini light | .07 | $1.76 |
How much electricity do Christmas lights use per hour?
How Much Electricity Do Christmas Lights Use? On average, the amount of electricity one string of Christmas lights uses is usually between 6-10Wh (Watt-hour), or 0.006-0.01kWh (kilowatt hour) per one hour of operation, which is equivalent to what a single 6-10W lamp uses.
Do Christmas lights use a lot of energy?
No, Christmas tree lights don’t use a lot of electricity as they are usually made of small, energy-efficient LED lights. For example, a 105 feet string with around 100 LED lights comes with the total power rating of 6 watts. And that’s a long string.
How many amps does a Christmas light use?
How many amps does a string of LED Christmas lights use? Since each string is 40.8 watts, we know that each string needs 0.34 amps (40.8÷120). Five of those together is 1.7 amps. The power strip has 6 plugs on it. 1.7 x 6 = 10.2 amps. All this is further explained here.
How to save money on Christmas lights?
- Plan it. ...
- Use discounted gift cards. ...
- Use social media. ...
- Barter via online chat. ...
- Find discount codes. ...
- Get cash back. ...
- Bring on the envelopes, chuck the credit cards. ...
- Give group gifts. ...
- Make a promise that you won't buy anything for yourself. ...
- Avoid the "10% off, buy more" phenomenon. ...
Do Christmas string lights use a lot 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).
Do Christmas lights use alot of energy?
Assuming the lights are on six hours a day, this means that an average household will use 65 kWh of electricity in December for their lights. Americans spends about $645 million kWhs of electricity to light their holiday lights for the month ...
Do Christmas lights cause high electric bill?
Using the formula above with the national average of $0.14 per kilowatt-hour and a display season of six hours a day for 30 days, using a strand of mini LED lights will cost you about 52 cents. A strand with the same amount of bulbs, but as incandescents, will cost about $1.81.
How many watts does LED Christmas lights use?
The LED strand is 2.4 Watts or 0.048 Watts per light. Clearly the incandescents use more power.
What uses the most electricity in a home?
What Uses the Most Energy in Your Home?Cooling and heating: 47% of energy use.Water heater: 14% of energy use.Washer and dryer: 13% of energy use.Lighting: 12% of energy use.Refrigerator: 4% of energy use.Electric oven: 3-4% of energy use.TV, DVD, cable box: 3% of energy use.Dishwasher: 2% of energy use.More items...•
Are Christmas tree lights expensive to run?
Some of the oldest Christmas tree lights cost as much as 20 times as much to run as the newest LED lights. But even the oldest still only cost around 72p per string in electricity for the whole Christmas period, according to calculations from Good Energy.
Is it safe to leave Christmas lights on all night?
Christmas tree lights should not be left on for prolonged periods of time or overnight. Even LED lights can overheat, and with a combination of a dry Christmas tree, could cause a fire. Make it a habit to turn off your Christmas lights every time you leave the house or go to bed at night.
How many watts is 100 Christmas lights?
40.8 wattsHow Much Electricity Do LED Christmas Lights Use?Type of LightBulbs Per SetSet WattageIncandescent Mini Lights10040.8 wattsIncandescent C9 Stringer Set25175 wattsLED Mini Lights (Conical or M5)503.45 wattsLED Mini Lights (Conical or M5)704.83 watts4 more rows•Oct 16, 2013
Does it cost more to turn lights on and off MythBusters?
According to a Mythbusters episode summary on Wikipedia: " The MythBusters calculated that the power surge from turning on a light would only consume as much power as leaving it on for a fraction of a second (except for fluorescent tube lights; the startup consumed about 23 seconds' worth of power)".
How much power does 300 Christmas lights use?
Comparing Incandescent and LED Christmas Light Sets However, the power consumption of these 300 incandescent lights is around 72 watts, while the LED bulbs consume around 15 watts.
Does LED lights increase electric bill?
In general, LED Lights use less electricity and last longer than incandescent or CFL bulbs. This EarthEasy chart breaks down the electricity usage and cost savings of LEDs, and shows thousands of dollars of savings over 25,000 hours when you switch from incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs.
Do LED lights use a lot of electricity?
What is this? An average LED strip light consumes roughly 7 to 35 watts. This wattage is highly dependent on the specific product, as more energy-conscious strip lights require very little electricity while bright, fully-featured lights can use almost as much electricity as a conventional bulb.
How much does it cost to run a strand of Christmas lights?
A strand with the same amount of bulbs, but as incandescents, will cost about $1.81. If you're looking at a strand of 100-light C9 LED lights at 4.8 watts, it will cost you about 12 cents, while a 25-light strand of C9 incandescent lights at 175 watts costs about $4.41.
Is it safe to leave Christmas lights on all night?
Christmas tree lights should not be left on for prolonged periods of time or overnight. Even LED lights can overheat, and with a combination of a dry Christmas tree, could cause a fire. Make it a habit to turn off your Christmas lights every time you leave the house or go to bed at night.
Do night lights use a lot of electricity?
Normal Night light Uses Most Electricity While LED night lights can use less than a single watt. Running one traditional 7-watt night light all year long costs approximately six dollars' worth of energy.
Does it cost more to turn lights on and off MythBusters?
According to a Mythbusters episode summary on Wikipedia: " The MythBusters calculated that the power surge from turning on a light would only consume as much power as leaving it on for a fraction of a second (except for fluorescent tube lights; the startup consumed about 23 seconds' worth of power)".
How many watts does a 70 count LED light use?
For example, a 100-count string of incandescent mini lights runs at 40 watts, while a 70 count of 5mm Wide Angle LEDs is approximately 4.8 watts total. In fact, because incandescent wattage is 80-90% more than LED wattage, the cost to power an incandescent can be up to 90x greater than powering an LED.
How much does electricity cost?
According to EnergyStar.gov, the average price of electricity is 11.3 cents per kilo-watt hour. For the power calculations below, we will use this figure per EnergyStar.gov, but you may choose to pull out your electric bill to use your actual price.
How many strings does a Christmas tree have?
When comparing outdoor Christmas decorations, the typical light user will use 1 to 3 wreaths, a garland, and a total of approximately 10 strings to wrap their outdoor trees. After calculating total wattage we can see that electrical usage is minimal.
How to calculate KWH?
Multiply by 5 hours a day to find kwh/day. Multiply by 30 days to find kwh/season. Multiply by 11.3 cents, or your cost of power usage found on your electric bill, to calculate cost.
How to calculate wattage?
If you would like to calculate your own power usage, use the following formula with your power bill: 1 Know your wattage: Find how many total watts you will be using. 2 Multiply times 0.001 to find kilo-watt hour. 3 Multiply by 5 hours a day to find kwh/day. 4 Multiply by 30 days to find kwh/season. 5 Multiply by 11.3 cents, or your cost of power usage found on your electric bill, to calculate cost.
Do LED lights save energy?
Does energy savings on the electric bill support switching to LEDs? 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. Repeat purchases in LED lights are reduced drastically, multiplying savings year after year.
Do Christmas lights have to have an equal amp?
Both timers and extension cords support different amp capacities, so pair with Christmas lights of equal amperage.
Will you have a high electric bill if you put up Christmas lights?
You will have a high electric bill if you put up Christmas lights.
Do Christmas lights use a lot of energy?
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.
Holiday Decorator Type 1: Holly & Jolly
We define this type of holiday decorator as the “economical” decorator. You fit this profile if you prefer to keep your décor simple, with just enough lights to show your holiday spirit.
Save on Your Energy Costs This Holiday Season
As you can see from the above examples, LED lights may require a larger initial investment, but they are far more energy efficient and will save you money in the long run. Not only do they use fewer watts to run, but LED lights last tens of thousands of hours longer than incandescent bulbs, so you can use them for many years to come.
How much energy does a Christmas light use?
For example, a typical strand of 100 incandescent mini light bulbs uses 40 watts of electricity. LED bulbs use far less energy. How much less? For the same cost of running 25 C9 bulbs, you could illuminate 7,200 LED bulbs!
What Is the Energy Consumption of Your Holiday Lights?
You may wonder how much energy your Christmas light display will consume this season. It's easy to determine the answer using a few simple calculations.
What Factors Affect Holiday Light Energy Usage?
While holiday lighting is beautiful and festive, it does cost money to operate. What factors come into play when determining Christmas light energy costs over the holidays?
How to figure out how much energy you use?
Figure out how much energy you use each day (KW/d). Simply multiply the KW/h by how many hours you plan to keep the Christmas lights on each day.
How does the size of a house affect energy usage?
How large is your home? The size of your house directly correlates to energy usage. It takes more lights to decorate a large , multistory home than a modest bungalow. If you want to consume less energy, consider only hanging lights to accent certain parts of your home.
Which has more wattage, LED or incandescent?
Incandescent bulbs run at a higher wattage than LED bulbs – nearly 90% more! That means they draw more electricity.
Where to find wattage of lights?
Know the wattage of your lights. You can find this on the original packaging.
How much electricity does a Christmas light use?
Different types of festive lights consume different amounts of electricity. A string of mini lights that you can find at any grocery store uses around 25 watts, whereas a strand of 100 big festive lamp-like bulbs uses 500 watts and a string of 100 icicle lights will use about 5500 watts of energy. One way you can manage your festive electricity consumption is to invest in LEDs – they will use approximately 7-times less electricity, they don’t represent a fire hazard and their average life expectancy is 50 000 hours, which means that you will likely use yours forever.
How many mini lights are there for a Christmas tree?
5 strands of mini lights for your Christmas tree (with 100 incandescent mini lights each)
How Long Should Christmas Lights Be On?
Most of the front yard displays are on from 5 pm to approximately 10 or 11 pm. Is that electricity-efficient? Well, that highly depends on the type of lights you have. Incandescents are very inexpensive, but there is a down-size: nearly 90% of the energy is wasted, floating off into the air in the form of heat.
How many watts does a Christmas tree need?
The most common Christmas tree mini lights that you can find at any grocery store use around 25 watts per each strand with approximately 100 lights per strand. Though that might not sound like a lot, this can quickly add up considering that your Christmas tree requires about 10 strands of these lights. This rounds up to 250 watts, which is more than what’s consumed by your flat screen LCD TV.
How long do LED bulbs last?
The average life expectancy of an LED lightbulb is 50000 hours, which means that you will likely use your LED Christmas lights forever.
How much energy does a string light use?
A strand of 100 big festive lamp-like bulbs uses 500 watts of energy and if you want to cover your entire home, you might need anywhere between 10 and 20 strands.
Do Christmas lights spike your electric bill?
If are more of a realist, you might look at Christmas lights as not only a time-honored tradition but also a potential sharp spike on your electric bill the next month. Well, so do we! We analyzed how much do Christmas lights cost to run and more importantly, whether can you reduce your holiday season electric usage, without sacrificing any of the joys.
How many watts can a Christmas light string use?
UL listed lights state a maximum of 210 watts can be connected when using 22 gauge wire, and a maximum of 420 watts can be connected when using 20 gauge wiring. Below is a quick reference chart listing popular Christmas light strings, wattage examples and maximum strings connected. Note that both LED and incandescent lights can be used for just about any application but that incandescent lights require far more power and therefore require more planning to make sure the string capacity and the circuit capacity are adequate.
How does wattage affect Christmas lights?
Wattage has an impact in every area of Christmas lights from planning to installation. Once you find out your bulb wattage and understand how amperage affects your project, shopping for Christmas lights and customizing light displays becomes a lot easier. The maximum watt capacity of your string lights.
How long do LED Christmas lights last?
LED lights save money both on the power bill and as an investment: with strings rated at 50,000+ hours average life versus 3,000 for incandescent lights, LEDs can be reused for years. To read more about LEDs and their benefits, check out the LED Christmas Lights Guide.
How many watts do you need for incandescent lights?
Tip: Because the incandescent option requires 2,100 watts, which is more than most household circuits can handle, you will need to separate your light runs onto different household circuits. This is not difficult, but it requires you to know which plugs in your house to use...otherwise you'll be running to the circuit breaker box often to flip blown fuses. The other planning consideration with this scenario is that you can only run 2 incandescent strings end-to-end. This means you have a maximum of 50 ft. to work with before you have to switch to a different plug outlet with a new run of your lights. Often times this method involves the use of extension cords or carefully planning various rooms in your house that have access to roof lines. There are easier planning options that include going with commercial grade, heavier gauge wiring so you can include more bulbs in larger runs, but this is also more expensive.
How many watts does an LED bulb need?
LED bulbs will also look impressive, but will only require 29 watts. The wattage difference is extreme! Both LED and incandescent lights in this example have 25 bulbs per string, which is very common. With incandescent, only 2 strings can be connected end-to-end, which means you'll need 6 different plug outlets.
How many watts does an incandescent light bulb use?
Either option would look fantastic but the LED option is 38 watts whereas the incandescent option is 1,925 watts. Both options can be easily planned for, but the incandescent option requires more understanding of what your home can handle as well as what your strings can handle.
What is wattage on a string?
Watts is a measurement of the amount of energy used. Wattage is typically provided per bulb or string and is listed on the bulb or near the UL tags on a string. If wattage is not listed on the stringer or bulb, wattage meters are available for around $10 to calculate its electric draw.
How much electricity does it cost to run Christmas lights?
The cost of your Christmas lights will depend on what type you are using, how often you have them on, and what your local electricity rate is.
Types of Christmas Lights
LED stands for light-emitting diodes, and they are one of the most energy-efficient options. LED lights now come in different sizes and colors and they don’t heat up, so don’t come with an extra risk of fire. However, because they don’t warm up, they won’t melt any snow that falls on top of them.
Battery-powered
When you want to decorate hard-to-reach areas, battery-powered holiday lights are a solid option. They usually come in the form of an object, such as a wreath or a tree, and have their own battery pack attached to them.
How to save electricity during Christmas?
Using LED Christmas lights is the best way to save electricity. They use 75% less power than incandescent lights and are now readily available.
Conclusion
Christmas lights make your street that much more festive and it’s natural to want to decorate for the holidays. Invest in the right lights that will match your décor and when possible, purchase LED lights that use less electricity and therefore cost less money to use.
