Something always bothers me about Christmas. It isn't the weather or time spent with extended family. It isn't the mad rush to spend money at the mall or the self-gloating christmas letters. No, what really bothers me are the Christmas lights. I've never been a big fan of Christmas decorations but christmas lights in particular really bother me. I often wonder why the environmentalists aren't putting bumper stickers on houses like they do gas guzzling SUVs. I mean, at least an SUV gets you from place to place so you can buy junior that snazzy iPod he wants. What purpose do Christmas lights serve? They are nothing but energy suckers in my opinion. I don't leave lights on for no reason and adding 4,000 bulbs of light to leave on for hours on end seems like an extreme waste of energy to me.
Q. How much energy do Christmas lights use?
A. That depends on the kind you use. Standard mini-bulbs use about 25 watts per 50-bulb strand. If you leave four strands on all night long for a month, the electricity will cost you approximately $5. The larger old-style lights can use as much as 250 watts per 50 bulb strand so will cost 10 times as much as mini-bulbs. If you're looking to reduce costs associated with holiday lighting, your best option is the LED variety. LEDs, or Light Emitting Diodes, use as little as 2 to 4 watts per strand and can last for 20 years. They don't use a heated filament to produce light, so they also run cooler, reducing fire risk.
4 strands = $5 per month. Most houses I see use about 10 strands or more. Along with the stand up blow up santas etc.. I'm guessing people waste $15/month on christmas lights, which equates to a large amount of wasted coal in my opinion.
