We get commission for products purchased through some of the links in this article.
The Christmas season is in full swing, and many of us are enjoying the festive mood and setting up our trees. Whether you chose a fake tree or went for a real one, the tree is always the star of the show when it comes to our seasonal decor.
We love keeping our Christmas tree lights on all evening, but they are of course reflected in your utility bills. If you are wondering “Do Christmas tree lights consume a lot of electricity?” Crown wings smashed how much energy your tree uses.
Image credit: Lights4Fun
Do Christmas tree lights consume a lot of electricity?
Crown Pavilions has calculated the cost of lighting your Christmas tree. Most of us use two strings of lights, which add up to 80 watts of power.
If you leave your lights on for 6 hours a day, 0.08 kW x 6 hours means an output of 0.48 kW. With energy prices rising to around 17p per kilowatt, it costs just £2.48 to keep the lights on for 6 hours a day for an entire month.
This is based on the calculation: 0.48 (output) x 0.17 (cost) x 30 (day) = 2.48. Given that a quarter of us in the UK now have two trees, that cost would double for many of us.
Image credit: SoloIgnite
But we think even £4.96 is definitely worth it for a month of twinkling Christmas tree lights. If you were to keep the lights on 24 hours a day for a month, which we don’t recommend, the average cost would be around £9.79.
The average British family lights their tree for 6 hours a day. On a ‘output x cost x number of days’ calculation, the entire UK spends a total of £22.3m lighting its trees throughout the month of December.
In the grand scheme of things, turning on Christmas tree lights doesn’t cost a lot of money. Especially when compared to other things we spend money on during the holiday season.
Image credit: Future PLC
Tips to Keep Energy Costs Low at Christmas
If you’re worried about the house bills this Christmas, there are plenty of energy-saving tips for the home that can make all the difference.
-
Amazon plug-in timers are a great way to avoid wasting electricity.
- You can also consider battery powered lights, to make it easier to keep track of your energy usage.
- Switching to LED will also help keep costs down.
So the next time a relative asks if your fancy Christmas tree display uses a lot of electricity, you can tell them that lighting one tree for 6 hours a day in December costs less than a coffee maker.