Can you justify the cost of running extra lights during this festive period? You might be pleasantly surprised...
Nothing says Christmas like a twinkling home, but how much will it cost you to run your festive lighting during the cost of living crisis?
Read more: 48 style shortcuts for no-hassle Christmas decor
The good news is that most Christmas lights will not run up as big an electricity bill as you might think. Most modern lighting uses energy-efficient LED bulbs, which are unlikely to cost more than a few pounds, even if you keep them up for the whole of December.
To help you work it out, the decorative lighting company Festive Lights has updated its Christmas Lights Energy Calculator to help you work out just how much (or how little) you can expect to pay.
The current energy price cap stands at 27p per kWh if you're on a standard variable tariff, and this is fixed until 31 December 2023.
Based on this average unit price, and assuming lights are switched on for an average of six hours per day, the calculator will give you an estimated price, presuming you have a rough idea of your lights' wattage.
Using a couple of representative examples of products it sells, Festive Lights says that five metres of outdoor LED lights with a wattage output of 0.68W will set you back just 3p a month, while even a much higher wattage output of 3.5W will only cost around 17p for the whole month.
However, there are a couple of caveats to this. Older lights with filament bulbs that you’ve fastidiously coiled up each January and boxed away ready for the next year will be pricier, and obviously, if you choose not to switch them off during daylight hours or when you go to bed, then prices will increase.
It's also worth noting that from 1 January 2024, the energy price cap will rise by an average of around 5% to 29p per kWh for electricity, so these figures will increase in the new year.
Still perfecting your festive illuminations? We’ve rounded up a few of our favourite, cost-effective Christmas lights on the market right now and made a few of our own calculations...
LED cluster lights: 21p a month to run
ConnectGo Outdoor LED Cluster Lights, Festive Lights, £34.99
If you're looking to give your home a magical glow, you can't go wrong with a beautiful string of cluster lights. This durable LED design in warm white is a great choice for dressing up the exterior of your home. Use them to outline a gable roofline to make a statement, or tuck them just beneath your roof overhang for a subtle festive ambience.
Measuring four metres in length, these cluster lights are part of the ConnectGo range, so you can add more strands to your scheme if you really want to go big. And considering they cost just 21p to run for the entirety of December, you won't have to worry about running up a big bill either.
LED tree lights: 18p a month to run
Osby Star LED Tree Topper & Micro Christmas Tree Lights, Lights4fun, £22.50
Featuring 255 warm white LEDs, these micro Christmas tree lights cascade down in 16 evenly spaced strands of wire. Secured at the top of the tree with a beautiful star topper, they feature a green metal cable to subtly blend into natural foliage.
They're a super simple way to transform your tree into a glittering focal point without getting yourself in a tangle, and what's more, you can power them for only 18p per month.
Reindeer and sleigh silhouette: 30p a month to run
Reindeer & Sleigh Christmas Light Silhouette, Lights4fun, £59.99
Nothing quite says Christmas like a twinkling reindeer and sleigh galloping across your front lawn. This illuminated silhouette fixture is elegant but impactful, comprising 360 bright white LED lights.
Its weatherproof frame is robust enough to stand up to the wintery elements, while four ground hooks will keep it secured in place throughout the festive season.
Helpfully, it comes with a six-hour timer so you can schedule your light show to switch on when the sun goes down. This whimsical tableau will set you back a mere 30p per month in electricity, that's just 1p a day. Bargain!
Outdoor LED fairy lights: 3p a month to run
ConnectGo 5m Outdoor LED Fairy Lights, Festive Lights, £11.99
If you're looking for versatility, then these ConnectGo low-voltage fairy lights contain 50 LEDs and can be powered by either mains, batteries or solar power.
This five-metre design can be used indoors or outdoors, plus they have a two-year anti-rust guarantee. Better still, according to the calculator, they cost just 0.11p per six hours to run. That's as little as 3p for the whole of December.
USB solar lights: free to run
Lumify Warm White USB Solar Christmas Lights, The Solar Centre, £59.99
To avoid adding any unnecessary extra charges to your electricity bill this year, you could opt for battery-powered lights, or better still, solar-powered ones.
This solar-powered conical tree frame, crowned with a glittering star, is sure to get the neighbours in a festive mood. It's a great option for an open, uncovered outdoor space where it can soak up the sun during the day. In the event of a grey spell, you can also charge these lights with a USB lead.
Read more: Amazing ideas to deck the halls on a budget
Main photo: Lights4fun