Choosing Holiday Lighting

Many Americans love to decorate during the holidays with strings of lights, and most people currently use standard incandescent C7 lights or mini-lights. Two energy-efficient alternatives to consider are LED lights and fiber optic trees.

Decorating with “holiday lights” is becoming more of a year-round activity.  Most people currently use standard incandescent C7 lights or mini-lights.

There are better ways! LED lights and fiber optic trees are two energy-efficient technologies that can reduce your energy costs, particularly when the lights are used for long periods of time.

LED Lights

Light Emitting Diode (LED) holiday lights are becoming more and more popular.  These lights have many advantages:

  • They use less energy - A C7 sized LED light uses .08 watts of electricity, compared with .48 watts for an incandescent mini light and 6.0 watts for a standard incandescent C7 bulb.
  • They have a long life span - LEDs last up to 100,000 hours when used indoors and about half that long when used outdoors.
  • They are safe - LED bulbs stay cool to the touch, regardless of how long they're on.
  • They are sturdy - LED bulbs have epoxy lenses that are virtually indestructible.

Fiber Optic Trees


Another efficient lighting strategy is to use a fiber optic artificial tree.  These trees use a single incandescent bulb, and the light is transmitted through hundreds of very small fibers and emitted along each branch of the tree.

To learn more, download this Holiday Lighting Factsheet from the EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse.