It’s that time of year. When you work in the LED industry, come November your friends inevitably start talking to you about LED Christmas lights. (Look what one of my friends recently wrote on my facebook wall):

Cree does not make LED Christmas lights. We do make itty-bitty LED chips that could end up in Christmas lights. But we make billions of chips and high brightness LEDs. So it’s possible our chips are in some LED Christmas lights you buy at the store, but I can’t say for sure. But don’t let that stop you from energy savings.

LED Christmas lights are more energy efficient than their incandescent counter parts. A recent review of LED holiday lights by Consumer Reports found that the LED lights they tested used between 1 to 3 kWh of energy versus 12 to 105 kWh of energy for incandescent lights. The LED versions tested were also more durable, longer lasting and they didn’t get as hot, according to Consumer Reports.

Keep this in mind when shopping for LED Christmas lights:

• Try out the LED displays: Some stores will have a display area showing off the lights. Take a moment to look for the display and get a feel for the colors/brightness the lights will put out.
• Pay attention to color temperature, particularly if you’re buying white holiday lights. Look for a label on white LED holiday lights that declares what shade of white they are. Anything that’s marked plain ‘white’ is probably going to have more of a bluish hue compared to warm lights, which should have more of a candlelight appearance. And when you’re buying multiple strings, make sure they all match!
• Find out if any stores near you are offering trade-ins on your old incandescent lights. You might be able to save a few dollars when you upgrade.

Here’s the full video that Consumer Reports put together on LED holiday lights:

Take a look at this article on the Licken County Courthouse in downtown Newark, Ohio, which is switching to LED holiday lights this year. Officials told the Newark Advocate that before they switched to LED holiday lights, it used to cost $10 an hour to light the courthouse, ringing up a $4,000 bill during the holiday season. They expect to see an energy savings of 75 percent or more this year.

And if you’re not ready to replace your incandescent strands yet, you can always try something smaller like an LED votive candle. Happy decorating.