Countdown to a Frugal Holiday: Decorative Lights

So what are the chances that you began decorating your house for the holidays right after Thanksgiving? I know that many families go out and get a tree once the turkey is eaten and the dishes cleaned, and if you’re one of them, here’s some food for thought: one of the biggest energy hogs at the holidays is your holiday lights. In addition, these lights can pose a fire risk.

So let’s say you’re in the market for new holidays lights: here are four ideas that show how going green with your holiday lights can save you green:

1. For starters if you want to dispose of your old, broken holiday lights, did you know that you can recycle them like you do your CFL light bulbs? Why not take them to Ace Hardware, which will accept traditional, incandescent holiday lights for recycling between November 23, 2009 and February 15, 2010. Participating stores will also offer discounts on the purchase of new energy-efficient LED light sets for consumers who bring in incandescent lights for recycling. Local Ace Hardware stores are partnering with Lights For Life, a non-profit organization that recycles the used lights and sells the copper components to raise money for children with cancer. Last year, Lights For Life collected nearly three tons of lights.
2. If you do end up buying new holiday lights–with a discount at Ace or at another store–consider purchasing LED holiday lights. (A new GE Holiday Lighting Survey says that pre-lit LED lights are the lights of choice this holiday season.) According to the Alliance to Save Energy, LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights have a bunch of “green” benefits. They use 10 times less energy than incandescent mini-lights and 100 times less energy than standard bulbs, they last more than 50,000 hours, and you’ll likely not to have to replace or recycle them for a long time since they’re virtually indestructible. Here’s the part I like: if one bulb does burn out, the other bulbs will stay lit, so you can easily replace only the bad one.
3. To further maximize holiday lighting savings, use timers to limit light displays to no more than six evening hours a day. Leaving lights on 24 hours a day will quadruple your energy costs–and create four times the pollution.
4. On the safety side, be sure that you use indoor lights, well, indoors only and lights designed for outdoor use outside the house only. I know–it sounds like a no-brainer but many people make this mistake, and that’s how fires start. According to Underwriters Laboratories–the folks that put that “UL” on safe electrical items–indoor-use only light strings are marked with UL’s green holographic label. Indoor or outdoor-use light strings are marked with UL’s red holographic label.

I love the look of twinkle lights and wish we could have them around the house all year long. But after writing this post, at least I have a better idea on how not to blow my frugal budget by using the wrong lights or leaving them too long.

Tags: Alliance to Save Energy, GE