https://utilityexplained.com/tags/holiday-decorating/Recent content in Holiday Decorating on Utility ExplainedHugoen-usWed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://utilityexplained.com/blog/christmas-lights-electricity-cost/Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://utilityexplained.com/blog/christmas-lights-electricity-cost/<p class="data-freshness" style="font-size:.85rem;color:#666;">Rate basis: U.S. EIA national average through July 2026 · Wattages from manufacturer listings</p> <h2 id="quick-answer">Quick Answer</h2> <p><strong>One 25-bulb incandescent C9 string costs about $8.65 to run for a 45-day season at 6 hours a day; the LED equivalent costs about ten cents.</strong> That&rsquo;s the entire LED argument in one line: not &ldquo;better for the planet&rdquo; abstractions — an ~85× difference in the electric bill for the same lights. A ten-string roofline display costs roughly <strong>$1 per season on LED versus $87 on incandescent.</strong> The catches: LED strings cost more upfront (they repay that in one to two seasons at display scale), the savings only materialize on the hours a timer actually controls, and — the part most people skip — a schedule that turns the display off at midnight saves more than any bulb choice does.</p>