LED Christmas lights shine for pennies

LED Christmas lights slash energy use versus incandescent strands, lowering utility bills. With low wattage, cooler operation, long lifespan, timers, and smart decorating, they offer safer, efficient holiday displays verified by kilowatt meter tests.

When Christmas lights go up, so can your electricity bill, says a Windsor, Ont., energy provider.

One of the easiest ways to find extra money at Christmas is to use energy-efficient LED lights on your Christmas tree, said Enwin Utilities director of energy conservation Lawrence Musyj, noting that households can save energy during the holidays with small changes.

"You will see that you are going to save on average 70 to 80 per cent compared to the old traditional lights," said Musyj.

"Traditional lights" include the incandescent lights many people use to deck out the holiday tree and the exterior of their home, even as the industry looks to LEDs for homes across the market.

At the Picchioni household in Windsor, Christmas decorating was described as an event. Starting the day after Halloween, the Picchionis put several hours a day into decorating their home.

"We try and do a little bit every year, and every year we add a little more," said Renee Picchioni.

For close to 30 years Picchioni and her husband have covered their home in all-things Christmas. The front lawn includes an inflatable snowman, a herd of reindeer, Christmas garden gnomes, and a festive helicopter on the roof - all of which use electricity.

"I would imagine our bill goes up but we don't notice it as much because we are on the budget plan."

The extra cost the Picchionis incur at Christmas is spread throughout the year - but most families will see their bill spike following the holidays.

CBC News put Musyj's big savings theory to the test using a kilowatt meter provided by Enwin.

Musyj demonstrated Christmas light energy use on two holiday trees in the Enwin board room.

Both trees were decorated with approximately the same number of lights. The tree lit with incandescent bulbs generated a 94-watt reading, while the LED lights used less than one watt.

It's a small change for big savings, said Musyj.

"The old lights that we showed cost about $7.20 cents a month and if we look at the new LED lights, the same amount only costs 60 cents per month."

The figures were calculated assuming the trees would be lit 24 hours a day.

Musyj said LED's are also a safer option for families since they emit far less heat than their incandescent cousins, and tend to last up to 10 times longer, though newer ESL bulbs also offer long life with a higher upfront cost.

The Picchionis said they have converted many of their lights to LED's and now use timers to control electricity consumption and follow simple ways to save on power for good measure - a necessity as their display continues to grow.

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