LED lights for christmas are a big topic right now. Another big topic around the christmas tree this year is solar powered Christmas lights. Will either one of them save the planet by reducing the use of fossil fuels? No, but its a good place to start.
Let’s start with LED lights. LED’s put out as much light as conventional christmas lights, but require 90% less power to operate. They are cool to the touch, so there’s less risk of setting something on fire, like your Christmas tree, and they should last for many years, if not decades, given the history of other LEDs used in electronics. LED’s are also affordable. They are a bit more expensive in initial purchase than conventionals, but considering their more extensive life, the price is pretty good
These can also be used year round for festive decorations, such as birthdays, parties, or just any time you feel like cracking open a good bottle of wine and watching the lights tinkle
If any fault can be found in these products it apparently has been repaired. The white light in the first strings that appeared on the market had a blueish hue, not the comfortable yellowish glow of incandescents. The white used for some LEDs on the market now is warmer, less harsh. (The blue-white is still out there, though, if you like that better.)
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that Americans will consume about 2220 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity during the 30-day holiday season with incandescent holiday lights. So the EPA concludes, a mere 20 percent shift to LED holiday lights would save more than 440 GWh of electricity each year. So, in terms of cutting back on energy consumption and thus greenhouse gas emissions even, by a small amount, it is worth the effort. Every little bit helps.
Power companies for the past few years have been suggesting that homeowners and businesses switch to LEDs for the holiday season. One LED distributor, HolidayLEDs.com, a new e-commerce company located in Michigan, would like to help the US utility companies push LED holiday lights a little harder by offering a 10-percent discount on LED purchases to customers of participating companies. All the utilities have to do is promote the LED lights on their websites or newsletters and include a discount coupon code provided HolidayLEDs.com to be used for online purchases through the company.
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