Festive Glow or Power Blow? What Your Christmas Lights Are Costing You
Published October 15, 2025
The holiday season is a special time spent with loved ones, and Christmas lights are a wonderful means of adding cheer to the holidays. But when the holiday spirit loses its magic and the harsh reality of post-Christmas bills kicks in, many people begin to fret about the effect those shining lights will have on their energy bills. There’s a common concern that Christmas lights significantly inflate your electricity bill, but that’s not entirely accurate today. Curious about how much those festive lights are really adding to your energy expenses?
To give you some idea of the cost of operating different Christmas lights, we have worked out the Christmas Lights energy cost you would see in department stores. If you have decided to upgrade to solar backed Christmas lights, you won’t see any additional charges on your bill. For those still using traditional lights, switching to LED options can help save on Christmas lights energy costs during the festival time.
| LED string size (no. of lights) | Wattage | Hourly running cost | Cost during December (6 hrs/day) | Cost during December (24 hrs/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 lights | 6W | 1.60c | $2.88 | $11.52 |
| 200 lights | 12W | 3.20c | $5.76 | $23.04 |
| 300 lights | 18W | 4.80c | $8.64 | $34.56 |
| 400 lights | 24W | 6.40c | $11.52 | $46.08 |
| 500 lights | 30W | 8.00c | $14.40 | $57.60 |
These are general estimates. The actual cost may vary on a number of factors, including:
- The wattage and brightness of your Christmas lights
- Whether your lights are steady or flashing
- Your local electricity rates
How to reduce your energy bill at Christmas
Switch energy plans
With additional appliances operating and your house ablaze with festive lights, it’s important not to be charged at high energy rates. Spare a moment to look at your existing energy plan and compare it with others in the market.
Set a reasonable aircon temperature
Adjusting the temperature of your air conditioner can make a big difference on your energy consumption. Every extra degree of cooling will add around 10% to your energy consumption. As an example, keeping your aircon at 22°C rather than 20°C can lower your energy consumption by 20%, saving you $50 a year.
Improve insulation
Good insulation keeps your house warm and toasty and lessens the need for over-heating or over-cooling. Seal the gaps at the doors, windows, and around the skirting boards using fillers or draught excluders to reduce how much hot air comes into your house.
Change your lighting
If you’re still employing incandescent or halogen bulbs, making the switch to energy-saving LED bulbs can save you plenty of money. Every LED bulb can save you $10 or more annually when compared to old bulbs.
Think about solar Christmas lights
Solar-powered Christmas lights are a good option to cut down your electricity bills since they harness sunlight to function. But they function only when there is enough sunlight, and therefore, they may not remain on all night. They can be costly to buy in the first place, but they cut down on electricity bills.
Don’t overstock
It’s easy to stock your refrigerator with holiday goodies but overloading it will block air vents and boost cooling bills. Organize your food buys in advance to prevent wasteful energy consumption.
Use a timer for lights
To keep your Christmas lights from being left on all night, apply a switch timer. This will prevent your lights from being on more than a few hours and will also stop complaints from neighbours.
Plan your lighting display carefully
Intermittent or twinkling lights use more electricity than constant ones. To conserve electricity, choose solid lights and switch them on only when it is totally dark (about 7pm, depending on the location). Restrict your display to December only and desist from over lighting in order to keep the energy consumption low.
Changing energy suppliers: A basic measure of reducing your bills
One of the best strategies for saving on energy costs is to change to a lower-cost energy plan. Regardless of how much electricity you consume, a good plan can result in substantial savings on your bill each month. To begin saving, look into comparing energy plans to see the most suitable offer for your use. By taking the help of Utility Market, you can potentially lower your energy expenses and ensure you’re getting the best value for your money.
