13 Nov How Much Energy Do Holiday Lights Use?

How Much Energy Do Holiday Lights Use?

The Holidays are just around the corner, and all over, people are trying to figure out the best ways in which they can decorate their homes. No matter what part of the country you live in, you are bound to find places that are lit up and adorned with beautiful lights and sights all around. These lights and the little decorations that come with it work to give us an exceptional feeling during this holiday season and are part of the beauty and charm that we feel during this time of the year. If the holiday bug has caught you, you are probably thinking of how and when you are going to decorate your home. Decorating your home is a great way to bring in the season and make your home feel more special. However, decorating your home and adoring it with those beautiful holiday lights always comes with a cost, and by that, we mean quite literally.

The Spikes In Electricity Usage

Holiday lights run on electricity, which means that your lights are taking up the supply that would otherwise not be in use. You are going to be using a lot more power than what you usually use, which means that you are going to have to pay significantly more than what you typically spend.

If you are wondering whether this is true or not and whether those dainty Christmas lights could take up as much power, we urge you to have a look at your past electricity bills. Sort out your bills by month and note down the times during which you see specific spikes. You will always notice that the peaks appear around the holiday season, and these can sometimes be significant increases as compared to other months. If you light up your entire home during this time of the year, you can be prepared to see increases by a significant amount. If you put up some lights around the 4th of July, you are likely to see spikes during that time as well. However, these aren’t usually as much as the ones during the holiday season.

The reason for this is because the lights that one puts up around the Holidays aren’t only for a day or two. On average, people tend to put up their lights for at least one or two weeks. Some households go on to put up their household lights for as long as three to four weeks.

Holiday Light Wattage

Usually, people tend to go in for the most generic forms of lights when trying to decorate their homes. Those who want to light up their homes are usually either using some string lights or led lights. Both these options tend to need varying amounts of power, which can all be easily calculated based on their wattage. String lights mainly tend to use incandescent bulbs to give off their light. On average, around 100 bulbs on a string light use around 40 watts of power, which is quite significant, considering that one needs hundreds to be able to light up a whole home. These lights are also quite substantial when compared to other kinds of lights, such as LED lights, which only use around 5 watts.

Keeping track of the watts that your lights use is incredibly important and something that people often skip out on when putting up their holiday decorations. Houses can only handle a certain amount of wattage before the circuit trips. Since you don’t want your lights going out abruptly during a holiday party, you may want to check the limits on what your home can handle before you put up your holiday lights in your home.

The Cost Of Holiday Lights

With the amount of energy that lights use, they are bound to add to your electricity bill. It is important to note just how much your lights will cost and how much they will increase your electricity bill. These factors mainly depend on the cost of electricity that your energy providers have established. Energy providers vary in terms of the price per wattage that they offer. Understanding this price and multiplying it by the amount of wattage that your holiday lights are going to use is one way to determine just how much you are going to have to pay.

Duration For Which They Should Be On

No one wants to skip out on lighting up their home during the holiday season, but getting into the holiday mood should not burn such a big hole in your pocket. With the number of gifts you are going to buy and the dinners you have to engage in, the holiday season is always expensive. Fortunately, there are multiple ways in which one can take care of these expenses and make sure that they are only using what they need to. Knowing how long your holiday lights should be on for is one of those things that can help you save a considerable amount, and can ensure that you don’t face any hazards as a result of your holiday lights.

The holiday season sees a considerable amount of fires as a result of holiday lights, and no one wants to end up in the emergency room during this time of the year. For this reason, keeping on your lights only during the evening and switching them off just before you go to bed is the best call and something that can help you stay safer during this holiday season.

Installing your lights in the right manner is also essential, mainly because of the potential hazards one can face if they are not installed correctly. The best option is to hire a professional light installer who can help you set up your home lights and make it feel special during the holiday season.

Mister Sparky Electrician OKC, America’s On-Time Electrician, serves the Oklahoma City, OK area with a team of certified electricians in Edmond, Midwest City, Norman, Yukon, and Del City. In addition to emergency electrical repairs, some of the electrician services provided by the company include electrical outlet/switch repair, ceiling fan installation, lighting installation, residential wiring repair, landscape lighting installation and home electrical inspections. Call us today at (405) 735-9303 to schedule an appointment!