The Electricity Costs of Christmas Lights in Every State

For this study, we aimed to approximate a light display that was a little more elaborate than just a few simple strands of lights. While not going so far as getting into the world of the true light enthusiasts. 

Number of Lights

To start, we estimated the number of light strands needed to cover the average 2,700 square foot home. Estimating there would be between 80 and 100 feet that would face the street and require light coverage. Using those numbers, we found that ten 68.5 foot light strands would be needed, six would be used for the home and four for bushes or trees in the yard. We calculated the use of both LED lights and incandescent lights. To round out our imaginary display, we added two inflatables, a Santa and a snowman. We used the product description of each item to determine its power usage and converted it to kWh. 

Length of Time

We estimated that the lights would run for seven hours a day, 6pm to 12am, and be up for a total of 34 days, the day after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. To complete our calculations, we used the government’s average for residential electricity rates in each state and multiplied the kWh hours by those rates.

After running the numbers, we found there are substantial differences in the cost of running Christmas lights across the U.S. Additionally, there are differences in cost between incandescent and LED lights. While LED lights are a more economical alternative, neither option has to break the bank (or your holiday cheer).

Most Expensive Vs. Least Expensive

Hawaii has the highest price for running incandescent Christmas lights for the 34 day time period. In turn, adding $46.62 to Hawaiians’ electricity bill during the holiday season. Homeowners in Louisiana will pay the least to run their holiday light displays, a total of only $13.94. The cost of running lights is above $20 in 14 states. The national average for running an incandescent light display is $19.81. 

Running an LED light display will tack on even less to your holiday electric bill – the national average for running an LED light display is $7.16. Given that the electricity rates are the same, Hawaii also has the highest LED light total ($16.36) and Louisiana the lowest ($5.04). Louisianians can spread holiday cheer to their neighbors for basically the cost of a fancy latte. In fact, it will cost you $10 or more to light your display in only 7 states, with the rest of the country coming in below $10. 

How Does Your State Stack Up?

You can see how your state’s rates for incandescent lights, LED lights, and inflatables compare to the rest of the country in the chart below.

There are many ways you can prepare for the holiday spending spree so you don’t have to sacrifice your light display: 

• Set a budget and stick with it. Sit down before the holidays hit and put together a list of all of the friends and family members you’ll need to purchase for. Your list should include  a set price range to stay within for each gift, along with a few gift ideas. 
• Take advantage of holiday sales. Putting together the aforementioned list early in the holiday season will set you up to purchase gifts at a discount where possible on Cyber Monday. 
• Use price comparison tools like Honey to confirm you’re getting the best price out there. Apps like Honey are free to use, and will automatically apply the best coupon code at checkout.
• Optimize your rewards card usage for purchases for optimal rewards and perks. 
• Home insurance doesn’t cover certain things that could be impacted by any Christmas light disasters, so you can sign up with one of the many home warranty companies like HomeServe USA to cover those mishaps.