As Christmas approaches, many homes have already embraced the festive spirit, adorning their spaces with trees, ornaments, lights, and treats, filling the air with the unmistakable scent of the season.

In a year marked by fluctuating electricity prices, it’s important to know how much it will cost to light up your home or office for the holidays. One simple way to reduce costs is by replacing old incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs with energy-efficient LED lights, which use 50% to 90% less electricity.

Each box of Christmas lights typically indicates their total consumption in watts. To calculate their cost, multiply the wattage by the hours the lights will be on, then by the price of electricity per kilowatt-hour.

How Much Electricity Do Christmas Lights Really Use?

For example, consider a set of 100 LED lights that consume 6.6 watts per hour. If they are on for 10 hours a day, their daily consumption is 66 watts. With the current state-subsidized electricity price of around €0.155 per kilowatt-hour, the daily cost would be calculated as follows:

66 watts × 0.000155 euros (per watt) = €0.01023 per day.

Christmas Lights: What to Watch Out For

When using Christmas lights, safety and efficiency are key. Mr. Fanis Kalambokas, a shop owner from Politia Evosmos in Thessaloniki, shared his advice for minimizing consumption while ensuring safety. He created an eye-catching Christmas display outside his shop with colorful candles and other decorations, offering some helpful tips:

If you’re reusing Christmas lights from previous years, it’s important to first check for any exposed wires, broken bulbs, or loose connections. If any defects are found, discard the lights immediately.

Christmas lights should also meet certain safety standards to prevent any hazards to your health, property, or life. Ensure they have the CE marking, and check the technical specifications on the packaging, including voltage, power, and frequency. Also, verify the manufacturer’s information or the details of the responsible distributor or importer in Greece.

Additionally, ensure the lights come with instructions in Greek, and check for the details of the selling company or the authorized service center for the product.