How much are your Christmas lights going to cost you?

You have the roof lights, the elaborate lawn display, a beautiful window display and the lights on the Christmas tree.

Christmas lights is one way to get into the festive season but they can consume a decent amount of energy, adding to your electricity bill.

To minimise the cost of Christmas lights there are a number of factors to consider including the type and quality of lights; the amount of lights; and how long you have them turned on each evening. We often forget to switch off the Christmas lights before going to bed and they can also sometime be left on during the next day.

In good news most modern Christmas lights are LEDS. They are a popular option as they use 90% less electricity than regular Christmas lights. On average LED Christmas lights will increase you power bill by $0.10 to $1.00 over the holiday period. But keep in mind some LED lights will consume around 1.2W per 100 blubs, depending on whether you set your lights to twinkle or flash, they can use as much as double the power.

The incandescent Christmas lights you might remember from your childhood are still around but tend to use up more power. This can lead to a dramatic increase in your power bill over the Christmas period. Incandescent fairy lights are very popular, but they could cost your home over $17.00 per 1,000 blubs.

So, how can you reduce your power bill this Christmas?

1. Make the switch to LED Christmas lights or Solar Christmas lights! Using the power from the natural energy created by the sun, solar powered Christmas lights are a great alternative; sustainable and cost effective.

2. Fibre optic decorations are another option and energy efficient. In most cases, they use a single light bulb located at the base of the unit to light the entire decoration.

3. Wait until dark to turn on your Christmas lights and remember to switch them off before going to bed or use a timer. Setting timers for your Christmas lights to automatically turn on when it gets dark and turn off during the middle of the night can save you a bundle in power consumption.