Energy Efficient Lighting Ideas for a Bright, Green Holiday
Visitors to home improvement, department, and discount stores are tempted with entire aisles of lighting choices, from string lights to icicle lights to colored flame bulbs. The good news is that growing awareness of global warming and energy conservation concerns has led those stores to also have low-energy lighting choices, to make for a bright and very green holiday.
Green Holiday Lighting Option One: LED Christmas Tree Lights. The green choice here is simple; there’s no downside to LED Christmas tree lights. Available in a range of colors and styles, from traditional tiny bulb strings to ornate globe and Christmas scene styles, LED lights are an attractive addition to your Christmas tree. These lights can last up to 20 years and use barely any energy. Greenhome.com claims that normal holiday lights used six hours a day can cost $30 a month in electricity, while their LED holiday lights will cost about 50 cents! That’s a substantial savings on your holiday lighting, with one simple green light choice.
Another benefit to LED holiday lights is that they remain cool to the touch. This makes their use on Christmas trees much safer than traditional lights. It also helps the Christmas tree last longer with no added heat to dry out the branches.
Green Holiday Lighting Option Two: Low-watt, Fluorescent and LED Indoor Bulbs. This is a green choice you’ve probably heard a lot about. Celebrities and politicians like Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore do their best to get the word out about replacing traditional bulbs with fluorescent bulbs. Fluorescent bulb technology has improved greatly in recent years, with more appealing light hues and special coatings that work in a variety of settings. The bulbs are more expensive upfront, but last up to seven years. Fluorescent bulbs also use a lot less energy.
The US Department of Energy states that a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) can save a consumer $62.95 over its average four year use. Even more importantly, “replacing one incandescent light bulb with an energy efficient compact fluorescent CFL can save up to 260 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.”1 That’s a lot of carbon dioxide diverted from the atmosphere, from making just one green choice to change bulbs.
A green option for holiday lights is fluorescent tube lights, available in special coated versions to cast bright holiday colors throughout the room. Low-watt, low-energy decorative bulbs are another fun alternative. Flame-style bulbs are great for electric Menorahs and fireplace candle displays, as well as your dining room chandelier.
LightTro also has a somewhat pricey but totally green, fun, and innovative LED screw-in color changing light bulb. Using a mix of three primary LED light colors, the bulb has fully adjustable color ranges and color change modes. It comes in three shapes to work in a variety of light fixtures, and will immediately spice up any room for your holiday party!
Green Holiday Lighting Option Three: Candle Light. The best green choice is to use no energy at all! Holiday lighting is all about setting a mood, and nothing is better for inspiring a warm, tranquil mood than candles. Pillar candles, votives, and tea lights work in a variety of holders and holiday settings. Place in front of a mirror and the reflection will add illumination to the room. Be sure to keep candles on a sturdy surface, away from flammable d�©cor and fabrics, and high enough to not be knocked over by children or pets. The safest bets for long-term holiday illumination are jar candles, or pillars and votives placed on a glass or metal tray.
Beeswax and soy candles are the best green options for holiday candle lighting, as the natural products burn bright and release no toxic fumes. Candles are a pleasant and soothing green option for holiday lighting.
Green Holiday Lighting Option Four: Outdoor LED Icicle Lights. Icicle lights have become a favorite holiday decoration, attractively trimming houses with bright white or colored ice-inspired strings of lights. The green option is simple: LED icicle lights. The same beautiful design and color variety are available, the color is brighter, and the bulbs last longer. (Anyone who’s come home to partially burnt-out strings of lights can appreciate the latter.) Like the LED indoor lights, these icicle lights are very green and use 90% less energy than regular bulbs.
Green Holiday Lighting Option Five: Outdoor Solar-Powered String Lights. The multiple bulbs in holiday string lights use a lot of energy. It also uses a lot of personal energy to work with multiple cords, and attractively arrange the lights while still getting those cords back to an available outlet. Many homeowners end up with strangely connected Etch-a-Sketch light arrangements, with long extension cords dangling over their front porch or garage door.
A wonderfully green, low energy light solution is solar-powered holiday string lights. They burn bright, turn on automatically at night, and have all the adjustable modes of twinkling and flashing. There’s no electricity needed. These holiday lights can be hung anywhere, and don’t have to be tied to an electrical outlet. The bulbs last much longer than traditional holiday light bulbs, and there’s no energy consumption involved. Definitely a green choice for holiday lighting!
Get into the spirit of the season this year, and decorate your house with attractive, bright, festive lighting. There are many green options to help you decorate responsibly, using safer, long-lasting, low-energy lights. Have a beautiful and bright green holiday season!
1“Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs”, Greenhome.com.
Find great green holiday products at Menards, Energy Bazaar, Greenhome, and LED Neon Light.com.
