Light right

Trade in your old Christmas lights for energy-efficient alternatives

This article was published on 11.03.11

With the holidays seemingly right around the corner, it’s about time you pull out your old Christmas lights in preparation. It’s always a bummer to plug them in and find that either they just don’t work anymore, or they’re a major energy-sucker. For the fourth year, Home Depot is offering an incentive if you’re willing to give up your old lights in favor of new, energy-efficient LED lights. From Nov. 3-13, bring in an old strand and get $3-$5 off the purchase of a new one (depending on which brand you choose). We know you’re probably wondering: How much energy am I really saving with LED Christmas lights? Here are some numbers from www.christmaslightsetc.com to, ahem, enlighten you:

• One strand of 70 LED mini lights uses 4.8 watts

• One standard strand of 50 mini lights uses 20.4 watts