How much does it cost to run Christmas lights at home?

23 November 2022, 12:14 | Updated: 23 November 2022, 12:24

Here's how much Christmas lights cost to run. Picture: Getty Images

By Naomi Bartram

Do Christmas lights cost much to run and how much electricity do they use?

With Christmas right around the corner, ‘tis the season to whip out the festive jumpers and pop on Love Actually.

It’s also that time of year when people are starting to put up their festive decorations to really get into the spirit.

But with the rising cost of living, it’s only natural to be worried about how much electricity your fairy lights will use.

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We’ve taken a look at how much it would cost to run Christmas lights at home this year.

The cost of Christmas lights revealed. Picture: Alamy

How much do Christmas lights cost to run?

This depends how long you have your lights on and how many bulbs there are.

According to Ideal Home, the average family has their Christmas lights on for six hours per day.

An 100-count string of mini lights runs at 40 watts, if there are two strings, that adds up to 80 watts (0.08kW).

Adding this up, 0.08kW x 6 hours will mean a 0.48kW output.

With energy prices around 17p per kW, if you were to have your lights on for a month, that would be a total of just £2.48.

LED Christmas lights cost less. Picture: Alamy

USwitch has also predicted how much the extra electricity could cost.

They state the average family switches on their Christmas lights from 26th November to 7th January.

If rising bills are a daunting prospect, they suggest LED lights or halogen bulbs use around a quarter less electricity than incandescent bulbs.

Uswitch told The Mirror that 200 LED fairy lights would cost just 0.2 per hour, which means keeping your fairy lights on for six hours would cost just 1.2p.

Another way to reduce costs is to pick solar powered lights which can be found at many supermarkets and hardware stores.

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Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch, said: “The big displays can look very impressive, but they can also dramatically increase energy consumption, particularly if they are using old, non-LED lights.”

“If you are planning to buy some lights, it is always worth checking the labels to see how much energy they use. LED lights are very energy efficient, and will help to prevent you starting your New Year with a nasty surprise on your energy bills."