It’s about time to pull out those tangled strands of Christmas lights and give your home some sparkle. But if you’re budget-conscious– and who isn’t these days– you may want to take a moment to consider how much those Christmas lights are costing you. According to EnergyStar.org, if all decorative strands of lights sold in America this year were ENERGY STAR qualified, that would save over 2 billion kWh per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to nearly 300,000 cars.
More and more Christmas lights these days are ENERGY STAR qualified. Many of these feature LED technology which means they use 75% less energy than conventional incandescent light strands. That could translate into a big savings on your energy bill, especially if you like to decorate your home with lots of lights. But there are also other benefits for using LED Christmas lights:
* They can last up to 10 times longer than traditional strands of lights.
* They do not get hot which reduces the risk of fire.
* They do not require any moving parts, filaments or glass which makes them more durable.
* LED lights come in a variety of colors, shapes and lengths.
* Most strands come with a three-year warranty in case something happens to them.
* You can link up to 87 strands of lights, or one-quarter mile of lights off of one outlet without overloading a circuit.
From now until November 15 you can participate in the Home Depot Light Trade In event. Just bring in your old working or broken strands of Christmas lights to any Home Depot store. They’ll not only recycle them for you, but they’ll also give you a $3 off coupon towards the purchase of energy-efficient LED Christmas lights. You can redeem up to five coupons and start saving money on your holiday decorations.
Image courtesy of Paul Keleher
