Get illuminated to a hidden Christmas cost
Households across Warwickshire are becoming adorned with decorations and illuminations, but many will be unaware of the huge costs they could be facing to light up their homes.
Christmas lights are incredibly inefficient with a set of just 200 lights using about the same electricity in the average home as a television set.
And with electricity bills rocketing and climate change high on the agenda, residents are being called on to think twice before turning their home into a `Griswolds family Christmas’.
Experts on energy usage with Warwickshire County Council have worked out just what the Griswolds (from the popular Christmas comedy movie the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) would be facing in electricity costs.
Dr Jacky Lawrence, Warwickshire County Council’s strategic energy manager, has calculated that the 25,000 lights on the Griswold household, with each light running at 25 watts, would cost £15,000 to run for a month if the lights were left on for just eight hours per day.
Dr Lawrence said: “This may be an extreme example, but even a string of 200 traditional Christmas lights on a tree will cost £2.40 for the month if left on eight hours a day, compare this to 200 LED lights, which are brighter and more efficient, and they will cost just 19p.
“We are increasingly seeing people going for the brightly lit Christmas house, and with increased energy prices and the climate change issue, people should be aware of the costs they are facing.”
Warwickshire County Council recently ran a successful Switch it off campaign, with the people of Warwickshire demonstrating that simple action can make a huge difference.
A call went out for people not to leave electrical appliances on stand-by over a two-hour period on a Friday night, and Warwickshire witnessed an eight per cent dip in the amount of energy being used on the previous night.
The message from `Switch it off’ is being continued this Christmas with a reminder of how expensive leaving items on could be.
Simple energy saving changes, such as not leaving TVs and videos on standby, can reduce electricity bills by up to 25 per cent.
Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “Not leaving Christmas lights turned on at all hours of the day and night will not only save households money, but also prevent thousands of tonnes of climate changing carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere.”