Cooperative Living November/December 2023 - 29

BRIGHTS
Get the LEDs Out
Brightening your holidays for less
by Tom Tate, Contributing Writer
LEDs emit
little to no heat
and perform
best in colder
temperatures.
A
s you read this, the clock is rapidly ticking down
to the holidays. I know many people are already
contemplating how to decorate their homes to
celebrate. Naturally, you will want to be as economical as
possible in your energy use, won't you? So, let me help
you express your holiday cheer with a minimal impact on
your electric bill.
As a youngster growing up in the second half of the last
century, we had but one Christmas lighting option ... those
big incandescent lights. They were glorious, and I fondly
remember them on the tree and outlining various parts of
the house. Wow, were they beautiful!
However, times changed, and the desire to conserve energy
drove lighting companies to develop mini-incandescent
light strings. They made up for what they lacked in size with
numbers. Instead of 10 to 25 bulbs per string, you had at least
50 and often 100. Some included special bulbs that made the
string twinkle for a dazzling and festive effect. And the good
news? Mini-incandescents provided a serious reduction in
electric consumption.
While mini-incandescent lamps used significantly less
energy than their larger ancestors, people wanted to save even
more on their holiday lighting extravaganzas. Fortunately,
lighting technology advances in the form of LEDs (lightemitting
diode) lamps provided the perfect solution. Talk
about energy misers; LEDs practically sip electricity, even
compared to their mini-incandescent cousins. True, the first
generations had horrible and garish colors, but that has been
resolved, and LEDs are now a beautiful option.
In addition to being certified energy misers, what else
do LEDs bring to the holiday lighting scene? For one,
you can buy light strands that operate even with one or
more inoperable LEDs, a feature hard to find with mini
incandescents. Here's another advantage: They emit little
to no heat and perform best in colder temperatures, making
them the safest interior lighting option and well-suited for
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outdoor use (make sure your strands have an outdoor rating).
The latest LED light strands offer twinkle, sequential, flashing
and other modes to add a special oomph to your display!
And finally, LEDs can last as much as 40 times longer than
incandescent lamps.
Drum roll, please. How much does using each type of light
for your decorating masterpieces cost? The following table
provides the answer.
Type of Lamp
C9 Incandescent
Mini Incandescent
LED
Wattage per Lamp
7
0.425
0.069
Wattage per 100 Lamps Season Operating Cost*
$36.09
700
42.5
6.9
$2.19
$0.36
*Costs calculated based on 40 days, 8 hours per day of operation, $.1611/kWh (EIA data as of 06/2023)
Imagine how many strings of LEDs you can afford to
operate when 100 lamps cost a measly 36 cents over 40 days.
You could put up enough lights to be visible from low Earth
orbit with little impact on your wallet.
CELEBRATE SAVING ENERGY ALL YEAR
Okay, you've cut the cost of Christmas lighting to the
bone. Carry the savings momentum forward with the easiest
New Year's resolution ever: Dramatically reduce your regular
lighting costs by switching to LEDs. While an expensive
option a decade ago, LEDs are now affordable, plus you can
buy dimmable and three-way bulbs. And like their holiday
lighting relatives, they are very energy efficient.
Light Output
Lumens
75-110
730-800
1380-1600
2000-2500
Wattage per Bulb
Incandescent Equivalent LED Equivalent
7-9
60
60
100
150
7-9
12-14
23-28
Reduction
Percentage
87
87
87
83
There's no reason you should put off joining the LED
revolution any longer. Enjoy incandescent light quality,
exceptional longevity and crazy energy savings.
*
November-December 2023 * Cooperative Living * 27

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Cooperative Living November/December 2023

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