A few weeks ago I blogged about LED lights will be more generally accepted because the prices are coming down fast (Click here).
In this holiday season, consider having some fun with LED lights.
We know that LED lights are 5 times more efficient than incandescent lights and will last 25,000 to 50,000 hours. The electronic control of LED lights offers additional features that let lighting designers create some fun features in decorating. The control can do dimming light, morphing, color changing, light chasing. Dimming LED lights change the amount of power sent to the diodes, sending less for dim light and more for bright light. Morphing LED lights slowly fade between different colors, and color changes flash from red to green. Chasing LED strings turn a few LEDs on in sequence that can be used to simulate the appearance of falling snow in icicles. Combinations of these features are also possible. These are hard to achieve things using other lighting technologies. The LED lights can also be put inside a narrow tube to allow you make twists and turns for interesting displays.
Some other advantages of LED holiday lights over incandescent lights: bulbs do not burn out, plastic construction without glass avoids breakage, bulbs less likely to be damaged while being put up or in storage, strings are water tight for use safely both indoor and outdoor.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and the San Francisco Union Square Christmas tree are just two examples that are lit up by LED lights this year.
The fun holiday LED lights for home use are priced at about $25 for a 100-light string, not cheap compared with incandescent light, but yet not too expensive in dollars to play with.
LED lighting is not merely a replacement for incandescent lights. It is a new technology offering more flexible ways of lights besides being longer lasting and more efficient. Holiday lights may be something to start trying the new technology.
Great article and very timely! I was impressed to see that Ikea is selling strings of LED lights for holiday decorations at much less than $25 a string. Hopefully they’ll last for many years.
Happy holidays to you and the rest of the Green Remodel Forum team.
Bronwyn
I put up some Christmas lights a few weeks ago on my first house –
LEDs were surprisingly cheap – I got 3 strings of 60 lights at Target for $9 apiece, plus a AA-powered string for the door wreath, and a photocell timer for $10 = $42.
Maybe next year we’ll do the edge of the roof too, but I’m afraid of ladders.
Here’s a picture of what we did with the LEDs–
http://twitpic.com/7v8i34
Thanks for all the interesting information on LED holiday lights. I want some of those icicle lights you mentioned. We have replaced almost all of our conventional holiday lights. Now I can enjoy having my tree lit up without worrying about the energy cost or the tree burning up.
Happy Holidays!