Holiday Lights Can Really Jack Up Your Electric Bill
When I get that power bill every January, my first thought always seems to be: “How the heck did our power bill get so high in the winter?”
Well, it’s those holiday lights inside and outside our house. My wife loves them, so every year, right around Thanksgiving, we get all those holiday lights and decorations out of storage and spend a day our two making our home look festive for the holidays. To be honest, once all of the work is done, I sure do enjoy the look and feel of those lights and decorations too.
One of the major arguments among folks who really get into decorating for the holidays is: incandescent bulbs or LED bulbs. If you’re looking for a warmer feel, and bigger bulbs, then you probably go with incandescent bulbs. If you’re going for brighter lights, and more of them, then you probably go with LED strings and/or nets.
Not only do these two different types of lighting provide different atmospheres in your display, but it costs a lot more to light incandescent bulbs than it does to light LED strands. According to an article written by Addy Blink, Nexstar Media Wire on NewsNationNow.com, here’s how you can determine how much more you’ll be paying on your power bill for those holiday lights:
- “Multiply wattage by the hours per day the lights will be on, then divide by 1,000 to find kilowatt hours, or kWh per day.
- Multiply the kWh per day by your cost of power usage (found on your electric bill) to find the cost per day.
- Multiply the cost per day by how many days your lights will be on.”
Don’t want to do that math? Let’s say you power your lights on for six hours a day for thirty days during the holiday season. A string of 300 LED mini-lights will cost you about 52-cents. A strand of 300 incandescent bulbs would cost you $1.81. Multiply that by the number of strings you’ll be lighting, and you can determine how much more you will have to pay on your January power bill. Happy Holidays!
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Larry Martino is the long-time Afternoon Drive personality on 96.3 KKLZ. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of Larry Martino and not necessarily those of Beasley Media Group, LLC.
11 Unique Holiday Ornaments That Will Give Your Tree Some Character
3) Golf Cart Ornament
Got any golfers in the family? Or if you’re doing an ornament exchange among friends or coworkers this ornament works kind of well for that. It’s unique and personal for anyone who loves golf. And just think about how many people you know that would have this kind of thing. It certainly adds something special to the tree.
4) Retro Cassette Tape
For all you nostalgic-loving folks out there you gotta grab this cassette tape. I like finding weird little things like this on a Christmas tree. It makes the whole thing feel very personal and like a piece of your personality is being shared with the world. A cassette is great if you are a huge music lover and if you want to reminisce about the days when you have to flip the tape around to listen to more tracks.
8) NES Console Ornament
From the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament archives, this Nintendo Entertainment System NES Console ornament will make any gamer’s season bright. How cool is it that it lights up and plays music and sounds from “Super Mario World.” Note that it does require batteries.
9) Football Ornaments
Yes, football season starts to wind down during the holidays, but hey they are still playing! And let’s face it, there are lots of football families out there. So if you love it, play it, or plain old just want it why not add some cool-looking mini footballs to your tree? Plus, this comes with a couple of them which helps you add that little touch throughout the tree.
10) Camper Ornament
If camping is your jam, then we’ve found an ornament you need to check out. Complete with holiday lights and a cute Christmas Tree on the hitch, this ornament light up! Made of resin, and measuring approximately 4 inches x 2 inches, it get really solid reviews on Amazon.
Please note that items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time we published this list. Have an idea for a fun theme for a gift idea list you’d like us to create? Drop us a line at [email protected].
