LED Lights-A New Choice for the Holidays

Holiday lights are a tradition for many people, but the cost can be hard to justify these days. Plus, the usual incandescent lights can be high on maintenance. They can short out easily, or the bulbs can burn out on their own, and sometimes cause other bulbs to go dark as well.

Now there's another option: LED (light-emitting diode) lights. They're easier to maintain, cheaper to use, and safer, too.

A brief description
Standard incandescent bulbs, of any size, produce light by heating a filament; when the bulb "burns out," it's because the heat has finally broken the filament. LEDs, on the other hand, use electrons moving in a semiconductor field.

LEDs have actually been around for a long time. One of their earliest uses was in digital clocks. But now they're being developed for many more applications - one of which is holiday lighting.

Advantages of LED holiday lights
Unlike incandescent bulbs, LEDs aren't made of glass, so they can't shatter. They're safer for other reasons, too. They're resistant to electrical shocks. And they don't produce heat, so they won't cause burns if they're handled when they're lit. The lack of heat also makes them much less likely to start a fire.

LED bulbs rarely burn out, and even when they do, the other bulbs stay lit. You'll need to replace only the burned-out bulb, and that one will be easy to locate.

This brings up one of the biggest selling points of LED lights - their longevity. They can last up to 100,000 hours, which experts estimate to be about 11 seasons' worth of light. How often do you have to replace your incandescent lights?

Longer-lasting lights also cost less, because you don't have to replace them as often. But there's another reason why LED lights are cheaper - they're much more energy-efficient than incandescents.

A large incandescent bulb on a string of holiday lights uses 7 watts of electricity. That may not sound like much, but compare it to a mini-bulb, which uses just 0.45 watts. Sounds better, doesn't it?