You might be surprised by how much energy traditional incandescent Christmas lights use. Many of the larger lights use about five watts per bulb. A string of a hundred Christmas lights can run 500 watts. If your lights are on for six hours per day for a month then that one strand may use 90 kilowatt-hours. At 10 cents per watt, that strand will cost you $9.00 to run for one month.
Solar Christmas lights are more efficient than incandescents. They use light emitting diodes or LEDs. This LED lighting uses a fraction of the electricity that traditional incandescent Christmas lights use. Because they require little energy, a strand of LEDs can be powered by a small solar panel and rechargeable batteries. Your house guests will look in awe and wonderment at your unique mini solar panels that illuminate your Christmas lights.
Solar powered lights are eco friendly. Each kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by fossil fuels will generate up to 2.3 pounds of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a gas that creates a layer of insulation in the atmosphere. This means that light from the sun passes through the atmosphere easily on the way in. However, the heat that would usually go back into space instead gets trapped and ends up warming up the planet. Scientists call this “global warming”. By reducing carbon emissions, we can help find global warming solutions. By using solar powered LED Christmas lights, you can help reduce our dependence on fossil fuel and save electricity. By replacing a strand of traditional incandescent Christmas lights with solar string lights, you are reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions by 207 pounds for the holiday season.
Finally, here are a few benefits of solar lights that you might not have considered. Since you will not need long extension cords, your chances of tripping on a cord and scraping your knee are low. In addition, traditional lights use household voltage, which is about 120 volts. If the cord is cut and you touch it while it is plugged in, you could die from shock. With solar Christmas lights, the voltage is very low, as is the wattage, so you shouldn’t die.
Solar Christmas lights will help you save money on your electricity bill. They are good for the environment, and help eliminate one of the causes of global warming. And they could even save your life!