Three million households are putting their Christmas lights up this month... and 12% of homes have had the same set for 10 years!
Three million households will turn their Christmas lights on in November[1], with one in ten (12%) still using illuminations that are over ten years old[2]
The average light switch-on date is 8 December, although a quarter (27%) of households will not put their lights on until two weeks before Christmas
More than three quarters of households (78%) will put up Christmas lights this year despite high energy prices[3], with people set to keep them on for nearly a month (26 days) on average[1]
Nearly three fifths (58%) of homes are using cheap-to-run LED bulbs[4], which cost £5 less to run over the Christmas period versus battery-powered lights[5]
However, nearly five million households are reducing the number of lights they will put up this year because of worries over energy bills[6]
Uswitch analysis shows households can still enjoy festive lights and decorations this year without adding to energy bills.
More than three million households will turn their Christmas lights on in November, with 1.1 million admitting to already having their decorations up[1], reveals research from Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
Three quarters of households (78%) will put Christmas lights up this year[3] despite energy bills still being historically high, with people planning to keep them switched on for 26 days on average[1].
The average Christmas light switch-on date is 8 December, with the decorations being taken down on 3 January. However, a quarter (27%) of households will not put their lights on until two weeks before Christmas[1].
Over half of households (55%) will put up tree lights indoors this year, three in ten (30%) will put up string lights and a fifth (21%) will have light-up ornaments. Outdoors, one in ten (12%) will put lights on a tree and 9% will display illuminated ornaments[3].
Christmas decorations are often used for a long time, with 12% of households still using lights that are over ten years old and 6% having lights more than 15 years old. The average household’s lights are six years old[2].
Those using older Christmas lights are more likely to be using inefficient bulbs. In total, 13% of households still use halogens and 13% have incandescent bulbs, while three in five (58%) have cheap-to-run LEDs[4].
There can be a big difference in the running costs of LEDs and less efficient lights. A six-watt string of 1,000 LED lights left on for eight hours a day could cost just 9.1p a week in electricity, but the same size string with halogen bulbs would cost 38p[5].
LED lights run from mains electricity also represent good value compared to battery-powered lights. Running a 1,000-string set of lights for eight hours a day for 26 days would cost 33.8p in electricity. The same set would need three batteries costing £5.99, although the batteries may still have some energy left for another year[5].
Although Christmas lights can be enjoyed without spending large sums on energy, nearly five million households (16%) are reducing the number of lights they will put up this year because of worries over energy bills. A further 12% of consumers are reducing their Christmas lights to cut down their carbon footprint[6].
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “Fairy lights brighten up the house and our spirits in the run-up to Christmas, and the good news is that LED bulbs do not use a lot of energy and so are relatively cheap to run.
“However, the 12% of households with lights over ten years old might want to check what type of bulb they use, as the cost of using the old halogens can quickly add up.
“Households looking for an easy way to see how much energy they are using over the festive period can download Utrack, a free mobile app that lets consumers connect to their smart meter and track their energy use.”
Track your energy usage with Utrack by Uswitch here.
Notes
Research conducted online by Opinium, 3rd November to 7th November 2023, among 2,000 UK adults, weighted to be nationally representative.
1. Respondents were asked ‘When did you, or when will you, turn on your Christmas lights?’ 1% said Christmas Day, 17% said in the week before Christmas, 27% said two weeks before Christmas, 19% said three weeks before Christmas, 21% said four weeks before Christmas, 5% said five weeks before Christmas, 3% said six weeks before Christmas, 1% said seven weeks before Christmas, 1% said eight weeks before Christmas and 1% said over eight weeks before Christmas. 11% of 28.2 million UK households = 3.2 million households.
2. Respondents were asked ‘Thinking about the Christmas lights you’ve had for the longest time, when were they bought?’ 6% said within the last year, 14% said one to two years ago, 22% said three to four years ago, 15% said five to six years ago, 7% said seven to eight years ago, 9% said nine to ten years ago, 5% said 11 to 15 years ago, 3% said 16 to 20 years ago, 1% said 21 to 25 years ago, 1% said 26 to 30 years ago, 1% said 31 to 40 years ago, 1% said more than 40 years ago.
3. Respondents were asked ‘Which of the following lights will/did you put up to celebrate Christmas?’ 14% said ‘N/A does not apply to my household’ while 8% said ‘don’t know/not sure’. 30% said string lights indoors, 55% said tree lights indoors, 21% light-up ornaments indoors, 16% said string lights outdoors, 12% said tree lights outdoors, 9% said light-up ornaments outdoors, 8% said other type of indoor lights, 3% other type of outdoor lights.
4. Respondents were asked ‘What type of bulbs are your Christmas lights? Please select all that apply if you have more than one set of Christmas lights.’ 58% said LEDs, 13% said halogens, 13% said incandescent, 5% said other, 24% said not sure.
5. 1,000 light string of LEDs uses eight watts. 0.008 kW x 0.2735 x eight hours = 1.8p. Halogen bulbs consume 320% more energy. A 1,000 string light set using batteries needs three ‘C’ batteries. A four pack of ‘C’ batteries costs £7.99. £7.99 / 4 = 1.99 per battery.
6. Respondents were asked ‘How has the number of Christmas lights you are putting up this year changed compared to last year?’ 55% said I’ll put up the same number of Christmas lights as last year, 16% said I am reducing the number of Christmas lights I put up this year due to energy bills, 12% said I am reducing the number of Christmas lights I put up this year to reduce my carbon footprint, 9% said I am reducing the number of Christmas lights I put up this year for another reason, 5% said I am going to put up more Christmas lights than last year, 10% said don’t know.
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to switch their energy, broadband and mobile than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.