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Updated Dec 16, 2022

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It's beginning to look a lot like LED lights

On the 7th day of Christmas Cedrec gave to me, tips to make my home sparkly.

It is the time of year for our homes to be covered in Christmas lights, but it is important we do this safely and in an environmentally friendly manner.

Incandescent filament lighting

If you have older, traditional incandescent filament lighting and have kept them over the years, it is best to make sure that they meet the most recent and highest safety standards.

Make sure they carry the British Safety Kitemark or CE Safety Standard mark. If they do not carry either, it could be that the lights have not undergone testing and are not safe to use. Poor safety standards mean they carry a greater risk of fire and have been made with cheap electrical components.

47% of the public say that they do not understand the British Safety Kitemark, so make sure you understand what to look for when buying your new Christmas lights this year, and check your current lighting.

Incandescent filament bulbs are also expensive to run, as only 10% of energy converts into light and more than 90% of the energy is heat. Because of this, they burn at a maximum temperature of 168°C, with the hot bulbs being a fire risk.

LED lighting

With the high fire risk of filament bulbs, LEDs have become the popular choice for Christmas lighting. They do not get hot, have less chance of catching fire and they work at a lower voltage than traditional bulbs.

As LEDs are diodes instead of incandescent bulbs, they are less likely to break, which means they are more likely to withstand a variety of cold and damp weather.

LED lighting is also the energy-efficient choice for Christmas, with an average lifespan of up to 50,000 hours, it beats any traditional bulb which lasts for 9,000 hours.

They can be initially a bit more expensive, but are worth it for being safer and more energy efficient. The cost of running LED Christmas lights outside your home is actually cheaper than you think. For a simple light display outside your home which uses on average 590 bulbs and runs for six hours each night for:

  • the whole month of December - £2.32;
  • two weeks of Christmas - £1.05;
  • just Christmas day - 8p.

So when unpacking your Christmas tree lights, make sure they are safe to use, and if you are ready for some new bulbs, consider switching to LEDs!


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