Ask the Energy Expert

 

Reduce Holiday Lighting Cost With LEDs

By Kevin Hurd, Manager of Member Services

 

The holiday season is still weeks away, but if your neighborhood is like mine, outdoor holiday lights may start going up any day now.

 

By mid-September many retail stores had holiday decorations on display. By the end of this month, many people will have their decorating completed.

 

I've been fielding questions about LED (light-emitting diode) holiday lights which hit the market several years ago. They are becoming a fast new favorite.

 

Q. Is it a "brightidea" to use LED holiday lights?

A. LEDs are certainly worth considering. They use significantly less energy than traditional incandescent holiday lights, and therefore cost less to operate.

 

According to the lighting scenario outlined in data from General Electric, serious outdoor home decorators will use holiday lights about six hours per day for up to two months — that's 360 hours for the season, and a lot of potential kWh use.

 

Let's compare the energy used by a strand of incandescent GE 100 Constant On Mini lights (40.8 watts) with the GE LED counterpart (6.48 watts). The incandescent strand will use 14.7 kilowatt-hours (kWhs) during the season. At 9¢ per kWh, that's $1.32 per strand. The LED strand will use 2.3 kWhs, and cost just 21¢ for the season. This may not seem like a lot, but if you use 15 strands to decorate outdoors, LEDs can save you about $17 for the season.

 

If you like the old-fashioned outdoor look of the C-9 bulbs, LEDs can save you more than $11 per strand; $165 for 15 strands during one holiday season.

 

Q. Do LEDs have advantages beyond energy use?

A. There are two key additional advantages: convenience and longevity.

 

Convenience: Since LEDs have much lower cumulative wattage, they generate less heat. More strands can be connected together and served by one electrical outlet. In the GE brand, all styles and sizes of LED list the ability to connect up to 25 strands. You are generally limited to connecting just two to five strands of incandescent bulbs, due to wattage limitations and higher operating temperatures.

 

Longevity: LEDs list an average bulb life of 20,000 hours and a 5-year guarantee. Incandescent strands have an average life of less than 2,000 hours, and a one or two-year guarantee. LED lights are also Energy Star rated.

 

Q. Are there disadvantages to keep in mind?

A. LEDs tend to be slightly higher priced than incandescent lights, although the difference is less than a few years ago. Replacement bulbs are not easy to find, but more available than in the past.

 

Another consideration: in some styles, LED strands may be slightly shorter or contain fewer lights than their counterparts.

 

Since the LEDs are more energy efficient and may last up to 10 times longer than traditional lights, their higher up-front cost can usually be offset by savings in one holiday season.

 

As with any holiday lights, we urge you to follow the manufacturer's instructions, which address safety as well as energy efficiency and bulb life.

 

Decorate and celebrate safely

 

Safety is always on the minds of Cuivre River Electric Cooperative employees. The holiday season is no exception. According to the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC), each year 12,500 people are treated for falls, cuts, shocks and burns due to incidents of faulty holiday lights, dried-out trees and accidents with other holiday decorations.

 

Please keep these important safety tips in mind:

 

• Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been safety tested by a recognized laboratory such as UL, ETL or SCA. This indicates conformance with national safety standards.
• Use strands that contain plugs with fuses.
• Check each strand of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed of bare wires, or loose connections. Throw out damaged sets.
• If using an extension cord, make sure it is rated for the intended use.
• Use no more than the manufacturer's listed number of strands connected together.
• Turn off tree lights and other decorations when you go to bed or leave home. 
• Outdoor lights and decorations should be plugged into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI).

Never leave holiday lights outside year-round. The wiring and plastic can break down over time.The CPSC reports that nearly 300 fires involve Christmas trees and result in an average of 10 deaths, 30 injuries and $10 million in property damage and loss each year. To reduce tree hazards, please remember:

• A fresh-cut tree stays green longer and is less of a fire hazard than a pre-cut dry tree.
• Place trees away from fireplaces, radiators and other heat sources.
• When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the "Fire Resistant" label. This doesn't mean that the tree won't catch fire, but does indicate the tree is more resistant to burning.
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree.

 

For more information about holiday energy use and safety, contact a Member Services Representative at 636.528.8261, 636.695.4700 or 800.392.3709, ext. 272, 233, 334, 4732 or 4733.