December 27th, 2021 | Guest Post
True Cost Of Christmas Light Displays
A lot people usually leave their decorations and lights up until the holidays are over, meaning after the New Year.
Have you ever thought how much those Christmas lights actually cost you every year? Are you one of those people that have them turned on all day and night or just at night? Do you ever think twice before flicking that switch? Well, whether you have or not, RateHub.ca has and they explain the true cost of your Christmas light displays.
Let’s take a quick look at the true cost of putting together – and lighting up – a beautiful Christmas light display.
Outdoor Lights and Inflatables
Before heading to your local home store, it’s important to plan your light display. Figure out how many Christmas light strings you’ll need and any big decorations you’ll want to purchase (lit up reindeer, blow up Santa, etc.). A string of 50 outdoor lights goes for about $10 at big box retailers like Canadian Tire and Walmart. If you want to get 5,000 lights up on your home, it’ll cost you at least $1,000.
A Christmas light display isn’t truly complete without inflatables. This 12.5-foot Inflatable Wide Santa Sleigh with Racoons is $159.99 at Canadian Tire and would add one huge element to your display, for neighbours and passersby to be blown away by. If you’re looking for something less extravagant (and costly), you could pick up a 8-foot tall inflatable Santa for $79.99.
LED vs. Incandescent Lights
Choosing LED (light emitting diode) lights over incandescent lights is really a no-brainer. Not only are LED lights more durable and last 50 times longer, they use about 90% less energy. A single incandescent light uses about 5 watts, while an entire string of 50 LED lights uses only 2 watts – talk about energy savings! However, if you already own incandescent lights, it could be costly to replace them all. That’s where you need to consider the savings of purchasing new ones versus energy costs.
Hydro Bill
If you’re planning a display with hundreds of lights, inflatables and the whole nine yards, it’s a good idea to estimate how much your hydro bill will spike in the month of December. Christmas Light Source has come out with an easy-to-use energy cost calculator that we think homeowners should look at before putting together their displays.
Start by entering the total number of each type of bulb you’ll be using, for the total kW (kilowatts). Then enter the price you pay per kWh, for your total cost of electricity per hour. In Toronto, if you run your light display during off-peak hours (between 7PM and 7AM), you’ll only pay 6.3 cents per kWh, versus 11.8 cents per hours during on-peak hours.
The Grand Total
If you put up 5,000 LED lights, your energy cost would be $0.205 per hour. If you turned on your display for 12 hours per day in the month of December, from 7PM to 7AM, the total added to your energy bill would be $76.26.
However, if you used the same number of your old incandescent light bulbs, your energy cost would be $1.575 per hour. If you turned on your display for 12 hours per day in December, the total added to your energy bill would be a whopping $585.90. Using this example, if you bought $1,200 of LED lights and inflatables, it would only take you a little over 2 years to see your cost savings.
LEDs are looking pretty good now, aren’t they?
How much did it cost you to setup your Christmas light display? And what’s the highest your December energy bill has been?
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