How Much Extra Will Electricity Cost During Christmas?

Do you love the glittering of Christmas lights in the house? It’s fun to put up the holiday decorations, but some homeowners wonder how all the lights will impact their utility bills. Christmas lights often turn on after Thanksgiving and shine bright through the end of the year. In fact, the use of Christmas lights is so prevalent that NASA has said that the increased light levels can be observed from space!

The True Cost of Christmas Lights

All the extra lighting is festive, but it does cost a bit of money to pay for the strings of lights and the utility bills. Not only do you need to consider the impact on your wallet, but also consider how these lights are affecting the environment. The more grid electricity you are using, the bigger your carbon footprint.

Increases in your utility bills will depend on the type of lights you are using, how many lights you put up, and how long the Christmas lights are turned on each day. Some people don’t notice a significant difference in their utility bills because they don’t use a lot of Christmas lights. Other people pay as much as double or triple their average bills because they have many lights strung up on the house.

Tips to Reduce Utility Bills at Christmas

Just because you want to enjoy many Christmas lights doesn’t mean that you are stuck with high utility costs. Here are a few tips to reduce your utility spending during the holiday season:

• Install Solar Panels: Even though the initial cost is high, installing solar panels can be a great way to produce sustainable energy for many years. When you are pulling power from the sun, you don’t need to worry about high utility bills.
• New Strings of Lights: Look at the wattage of your Christmas lights to see how much electricity is needed. Get rid of old incandescent lights and replace them with LED – which uses much less energy compared to old technology. Ten strings of mini incandescent lights will cost about $35 for the season, which the same amount of LED lights only cost about $4.
• Set Timers: Using timers to turn your lights on and off can be a great way to manage the amount of electricity used each day. Keep the lights off during the day when everyone is gone at school and work.

If you want to give your family the gift of solar energy this year, talk to our team at New Day Solar. Call to schedule a free consultation, so you can learn about your options: (855) 444-6329.