Energy Efficient Lighting Ideas for a Bright, Green Holiday

Decorating with lights is a fun and festive part of every holiday season, but it also uses a lot of energy and leads to higher electric bills. There are holiday lights to trim the house, windows, front porch or deck. Twinkling lights adorn Christmas trees, fireplaces, and wreaths...candle bulbs glow from Menorahs, candelabras, and dining room chandeliers. Homeowners even compete with each other for who can have the most elaborate holiday lighting displays, while entire blocks of houses coordinate to create a winter wonderland of holiday lights and decorations. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of the holiday season, but are there green options to help cut down on energy consumption and costs?

Visitors to home improvement, department, and discount stores are tempted with entire aisles of lighting choices, from string lights to icicle lights to colored flame bulbs. The good news is that growing awareness of global warming and energy conservation concerns has led those stores to also have low-energy lighting choices, to make for a bright and very green holiday.

Green Holiday Lighting Option One: LED Christmas Tree Lights. The green choice here is simple; there's no downside to LED Christmas tree lights. Available in a range of colors and styles, from traditional tiny bulb strings to ornate globe and Christmas scene styles, LED lights are an attractive addition to your Christmas tree. These lights can last up to 20 years and use barely any energy. Greenhome.com claims that normal holiday lights used six hours a day can cost $30 a month in electricity, while their LED holiday lights will cost about 50 cents! That's a substantial savings on your holiday lighting, with one simple green light choice.

Another benefit to LED holiday lights is that they remain cool to the touch. This makes their use on Christmas trees much safer than traditional lights. It also helps the Christmas tree last longer with no added heat to dry out the branches.