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LED Holiday Lighting

What Everyone Needs to Know about Holiday Lights
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019

Tis the season to decorate your home for the holidays! You may be focused on getting gifts and trees but don’t forget about your home’s Holiday Lights. If you’re thinking about updating your holiday lighting, here are 12 things you should know about LED Holiday Lights.

Save Money with LED Lighting
While LED Holiday lights will cost you more money upfront, you’ll save money in the long run. You can pay $13.65 per month to decorate your rooftop with those old incandescent lights, or you can pay 22 cents with LED lights (prices estimated by Xcel Energy Colorado).

Keep Cool
LEDs produce next to no heat making it a great choice if you have children pets if you’re concern about safety. LEDs are cool to the touch

Snow or Shine
Even when it’s freezing and the snow is falling, LED Christmas lights have no problem coming on. LEDs work in cold temperature and as the outdoor temps get lower, LEDs get more efficient.

Built to Last
When it comes to durability, LED Christmas lights receive high marks. In tests, LED bulbs didn’t burn out after over 4,000 hours, while standard light-string bulbs burned out at a rate of one to two per strand before half that time.

Fewer Outlets, More Lights
With one electrical outlet, you can typically connect 8 to 10 times more mini LED light strings together end to end. Comparted to Christmas mini lights, you can only connect four to five sets, end to end. If you want a lot of lights, LED mini string lights are the ones to go with. LED mini light strings allow you to connect 40 to 50 together, depending on the light count.

Replace Single LED Bulbs
Just like classic incandescent Christmas lights, LED Christmas lights can fail.  Instead of buying new string of lights, you can replace single bulbs. Many single replacement bulbs are available for many LED string light bulbs.

Big or Small
You may have noticed those old-fashioned big colored lights are making a comeback and we’re all for it. The best part is these bulbs are available as LEDs.

Cool White or Warm White
Can’t decide between warm white LED Christmas lights or cool white? If you are looking for a soft glow similar to traditional Lights, Warm white is a good choice for using indoors.  Or if you’re looking for a more snow-white tone, cool white LED lights are perfect and often used outdoors.

Holiday Lighting for Years to Come
Many LED light sets are rated to last tens of thousands of hours, which is well beyond a traditional set of incandescent mini lights that typically may last only a season or two.

Avoid Holiday Light Overload
Be careful not to overload your circuits. Include no more than 1,400 watts on a circuit. When other lights in your house dim when you turn on the holiday lights, your circuit is overloaded.

Lights Out
When you’re ready to go bed, turn off outdoor lights. Put your lights on a timer so they turn off automatically. Also, don’t leave them on when you’re away from home unless they’re attached to a timer.

Stay Safe
Only use lights with the UL label and be sure you’re using lights designed specifically for outdoor use. And when hanging Christmas Lights outside, make sure you use a sturdy ladder.

For more Holiday lighting tips, check out these resources:
https://www.bhg.com/christmas/outdoor-decorations/outdoor-christmas-lights-tips/
https://www.familyhandyman.com/electrical/10-things-you-should-know-about-led-christmas-lights/