Light Up the Holidays with LED Lights

The holiday season is upon us. During this time of year, we celebrate family traditions, we decorate our homes, and we string garlands of festively colored lights. During this time we also dramatically increase our energy usage. If you are troubled by this last aspect of the holiday, you are not alone. Though most people try to adopt green habits during the rest of the year, we slide into bad habits at the holidays. Consumption, over-abundance, waste, and an enormous increase in our energy use characterize the entire season. Is there anything that can be done?

One simple change is to switch to LED lights for your holiday decorations. LEDs, or light emitting diodes, have been around for a while, but are only recently catching on for use as part of holiday decorations. These days they can be found almost wherever holiday lights are sold, and their price has become very competitive with traditional incandescent lights.

LED lights offer many advantages over traditional incandescent holiday lights. They save energy, save money, and they are reliable, durable and safe. And there is no need to sacrifice tradition or beauty - LEDs provide every bit as much beautiful color and sparkle as incandescent holiday lights do. Here is why LEDs are the right holiday lights to choose this year.

You will save money. Bulb for bulb, a string of LED lights costs about the same as a string of incandescent lights does. However the LED lights are extremely energy efficient, using about 90% less electricity than traditional incandescent lights. For the average family, it'll cost about 10 to 15 euros less to light your Christmas tree for one month. You'll save even more if you also light up your porch and roofline, or decorate trees and bushes outside with lights as well.

Additionally, LED bulbs are rated to last 50,000 hours, which is 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs will last. So it will be a long time before you head back to the store to replace bulbs. Another reason you won't have to replace LEDs as frequently as incandescent lights is that LEDs are extremely durable. Made of tough epoxy plastic, they don't break when you drop them by accident. Also, they do not have a delicate filament inside that is easily damaged or burns out, like incandescent lights do. And when an LED bulb eventually does burn out, it doesn't take the whole string with it, so you can simply replace the one bulb.

Save energy by celebrating the holidays with green traditions. Because LEDs use so much less electricity, you can enjoy Christmas decorations without feeling guilty about excessive energy consumption. These days, everyone is looking to reduce energy use. Now, by using LED holiday lights, you don't have to decide between increasing your demand for energy and having a beautifully decorated house. LED lights allow you to light up the holidays to your heart's content, while still feeling good about your reduced energy usage. Also, because LEDs last so much longer, they create less waste. You'll use a string of LED lights about ten times longer before replacing them.

Increase safety for your family during the holidays. Tragically, each holiday season there are accidental house fires due to the dangerous combination of combustibles, like the Christmas tree, and heat, like the holiday lights. LEDs are a much safer light because they don't heat up, no matter how long you keep them lit. They are cool to touch, even after hours of use, so there are no burned fingers, no singed wrapping paper, and no accidental fires started with by hot lights and drying trees. You can leave LEDs burning all night without worry. Kids who tiptoe at night to peak at the Christmas tree can enjoy the magic sight of the tree all lit up, while you sleep soundly without fear that you might set your house ablaze.

Don't sacrifice tradition and beauty. LEDs cast a lovely, cheerful glow. Perhaps you fear that LEDs won't look the same as the incandescent bulbs that you've always used. You might worry that they will look harsh, or glaring. If so, your worries are unfounded because LEDs cast beautiful light that has rich, jeweled tones. Strings of LED lights come in white, solid colors, or mixed colors. The choice of shapes and sizes are what you are already used to seeing in incandescent bulbs. Though you might notice a subtle difference in the quality of light, it is not a dramatic difference. If you don't know that you are looking at a different kind of bulb, you are not likely to notice anything other than how festive and beautiful they are.

So why not add using earth-friendly LED lights to your list of holiday traditions? This year, you can feel good about lighting up your holiday. And while you're at it, you can save money, save energy, and keep your family safe.