Brilliant, festive lighting is one of my favorite traditions for the holiday season. But even the best-kept traditions change over the years. More than 100 years after the introduction of Thomas Edison’s practical incandescent light bulb, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are finding their way into a traditionally incandescent-dominated holiday lighting market. Is this change you can believe in? Most definitely. Welcome to a new generation of holiday lights.
LEDs have several advantages over traditional, incandescent holiday lights. For one, LEDs provide greater energy efficiency, using approximately 75 percent less electricity than their incandescent counterparts. To put this in perspective, a string of 50 incandescent holiday lights devour 20 watts of energy, while a comparable set of LED lights sip just under 5 watts of electricity. Even if you don’t buy into the notion of climate change and don’t care for carbon emission reductions, the energy savings touted by LEDs still serve another brightening purpose: a slimmed-down utility bill. In a household spending $30 extra every holiday season to pay for lighting, a switch to LEDs yields a savings of $22.50 per year.
Aside from energy efficiency, LEDs are designed to be more durable that their incandescent counterparts. While incandescents are capable of providing a good 2,000 hours of light, LEDs last 10 times longer, as they are able to endure a 20,000-hour marathon. A prolonged lifespan equals more years to save on your electricity bill and fewer bulb replacements. As an additional bonus, the plastic LED bulbs are less prone to being crushed than incandescents, which are made out of glass.
As with many new, energy-efficient technologies, numerous rebates and incentives are offered to attract customers to LEDs. Major retailers such as The Home Depot offered discounts towards LED holiday lighting purchases if customers brought in their used, working or non-working incandescent sets. Even at retailers that don’t offer rebate programs, the post-Christmas holiday clearance is the perfect time to snatch up a couple sets of LED holiday lights at discounted prices. Utility companies often offer incentives as well; Palo Alto Utilities customers can swap their current incandescent lights in exchange for a set of LEDs.
All sweet talk aside, LED holiday lights weren’t always so practical. As with any new product, LEDs were introduced to the market as a premium product yielding a premium price tag. Many felt that shelling out an extra $5-10 for a newer technology wasn’t worthwhile, and those who did sometimes found that LEDs produced a cold and unwelcoming blue tint–not the best way to spread holiday cheer. But that was yesteryear. Things are different today: with time comes improvement. An increase in demand for LEDs has pushed development and driven down prices, with LED engineers introducing “warm white” LEDs that produce a yellower, cozier tone.
When the next holiday season comes around, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t switch to LED lighting. With LEDs, you’ll enjoy the benefits of a slimmer utility bill, more durable lights and maybe even a rebate from your utility company. Feeling up for some shopping? Those LED lights on the clearance shelf are patiently waiting for you.