During the month of December, LabGov reported that Christmas decorations account for 6.63 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity consumption.
This holiday season, many American households have adorned their homes with a variety of electrical decorations. Whether it’s string lights, inflatables, or a new collection of appliances, the average American demands a higher amount of electricity during the holidays.
Over the course of an average year, Americans consume an estimated 900 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month, and 30 kilowatt-hours per day, according to LabGov.
The general trend of American households is to run holiday lights for an estimated time of six hours a day. National Grid notes that this can result in an average of an additional 65 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity usage in December alone. That’s an average of a $12 increase on a residential electric bill. In states with a higher cost of living, this could be up to a $20 increase on a residential electric bill. On a national scale, the total expense is significant.
Customers have a tendency to form a semi-competitive environment within their neighborhoods to see who can have the most radiant house. This leads to households feeling as if they must go all-out on a holiday light show in order to compare with their neighbors. Customers may be inclined to purchase more lights as years go on, which only compounds the cost of electric bills.
The Pew Research Center found that around 90% of American households celebrate Christmas regardless of religious affiliation. It is assumed that half of homes that celebrate Christmas put up decorative lights, leading to the total consumption of 6.63 billion kilowatt-hours in the month of December.
Due to the increased demand for the production of electricity, powering these Christmas lights is not the greenest way to allocate power usage, as fossil fuels produce greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Those 6.63 billion kilowatt-hours emit around two million tons of Co2 into the atmosphere for just one year.
However, there is hope. As National Grid reports, “In the ten years from 2013 to 2022, the carbon intensity of the grid (the volume of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere to produce a kilowatt-hour of electricity) on Christmas Day has been reduced by five times.”
In order to combat the increased amount of greenhouse gas emissions from traditional holiday lights, Americans can switch to LED based lights. LabGov reports that “LED lights lead to two main advantages: a 90% reduction in electricity compared to regular Christmas decorations and a duration set between 50,000 and 200,000 hours.” Agway Energy Services shares similar data, stating, “Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) last 50 times longer than traditional light bulbs and use one-seventh of the electricity.”
If we wish to continue to have a white Christmas, we must decrease our energy consumption around the holidays. By using LEDs, households achieve lower prices on their electric bills as well as a lower amount of energy consumption. An additional solution to the problem is to simply turn off the lights inside and outside the house whenever nobody is home to appreciate them.
In all, taking action to be more mindful about energy consumption will help lead us to the end goal of zero emissions — not just in December but throughout the year.
