Festive fanatics planning to transform their home with Christmas lights this year have been warned they could be hit by whopping bills running into thousands of pounds for additional power usage. Personal insolvency provider Creditfix has calculated that Brits who love to decorate the outside of their houses with silhouettes of Christmas characters using rope lights will rack up the biggest bills.
Having five of these on for six hours a day could cost £510 if put up on December 1 and taken down on December 31. But waiting two weeks more to put them up would drop the cost to £279, a saving of £231.
Creditfix created a Christmas Lights Calculator to help Brits learn how much their displays could cost, and how much they could save by delaying their decoration date or investing in different types of light. The most expensive light to run is a Santa rope light archway, costing £6.08 to run for six hours a day, which equates to more than £188 for the month.
Homes with ten Christmas characters which are lit up for over six hours a day throughout December and until January 5th - the 12th day of Christmas - could face paying over £1,000 for extra electricity. But the good news is an average set of indoor mains-powered fairy lights would cost just 12p to run for six hours a day and a LED inflatable, such as an inflatable Santa, would cost £3.67 to run for the same period.
Creditfix gathered information on the energy usage of popular Christmas lights to learn how much they would cost to run this year. Layla Johnson, regional manager at Creditfix said: “We all know this Christmas will be more difficult this year. Rising energy costs only add to the growing pressure that other seasonal spending such as bigger food shops and presents are likely to cause.
“Like all household outgoings, it pays off to be aware of how much you’re spending, rather than bury your head in the sand, which is something a lot of our customers often tell us once they’ve started to take control of their debt. This is why we decided to gather the data and create a calculator for people to use. The results are surprising – it’s reassuring to learn that a popular set of indoor fairy lights is the cheapest option. Even indulging in a fun freestanding decoration could cost less than £1 per day to run.
“If people don’t wait to cut back on the number of lights they put up this year, they could compromise on cost by waiting a week or two until they plug them in, and still enjoy the magic of Christmas on a budget.”
To view the full list of 16 different lights, how much they cost and how much could be saved by waiting to turn them on, visit the Christmas Lights Index online.
