Christmas is finally upon us once again! And unless we’re about to experience a festive holiday in the same vein as 2020 (which may or may not be true given the current state of affairs) then it’s time to get settled into your coziest PJs, crack open the hot chocolate, and play Mariah Carey for the 50th time this week.
But before you do that, have you put any thought towards your current state of affairs when it comes to your Christmas decorations? Is the tree up? The stockings? The dreaded elf on a shelf that that one family member insists you have up every year despite your attempts to ensure it meets a grizzly end at the jaws of your ferocious Pomeranian? No? Must just be me…
Regardless, it’s common for people to keep a hold of their Christmas decorations for years at a time, meaning that the same snow globes and nativity sets are dragged out each and every year in an annual preservation of tradition to the festive season. Whilst this is all well and good, and whilst your “Santa stop here” signage in the front garden is a welcome guest every year, can you really say the same for your Christmas light decorations?
The typical image conjured when thinking about Christmas lights are the colourful strips of red, yellow and green wonder that line trees and house walls every year, but if your lights are part of the set of decs that haven’t been replaced in nearly a decade like the rest of them, then it’s highly likely that your Christmas lights are a part of the – now grimly outdated – filament kind that provide a dim glow admittedly reminiscent of a cold winter night.
But this is 2021! The world has moved on from those kinds of lights, and has been replaced by a newer, hipper, brighter, flashier (literally!), and all-round better kind in the form of LEDs.
“But what makes LEDs so much better for my Christmas lights?” You may be asking yourself? And it’s understandable if there is some hesitation, considering Christmas is about holding onto tradition and basking in the nostalgia of white winters from yesteryear, but let’s be honest – Christmas is kinda also about buying stuff…
And so! In the spirit of the otherwise less-discussed side of Christmas – the side that invokes our inner nature of buying and accumulating, we’re here to persuade you why LED lights are the way forward, and why draping them across your window will make you the envy of your neighbours this year and for many more to come.
It’s the most efficient time of the year!
Remember those filament bulbs I mentioned a few paragraphs ago? Well they’re incredibly inefficient examples of lighting technology. The light they create comes from the electrical charge heating up that filament which then, once it turns hot enough, begins to glow like Rudolph’s famous nose.
Except these lights aren’t guiding no bearded philanthropist in the sky, although that’s where your electricity bill will be by the new year if you continue to use them…
LEDs, on the other hand, emit light from diodes that require about a tenth of the power than that of the filament bulb. This means that you’re using far less energy to power much more powerful means of lighting, meaning big savings on your electrical bill. It also means you’re much safer using LEDs over lights that have a higher risk of catching fire due to their high temperatures – and no more accidentally scalding your fingers on hot light bulbs.
Following the North LED
Not only are LEDs more efficient than their traditional counterparts, they’re known for lasting much longer, too. Your typical LED will last about 50 times longer than older models of lighting such as filament or incandescent. If you think you’ve had your old Christmas lights for a while, then wait until you get some LEDs – you won’t be able to get rid of them even if you wanted to!
You might even think that sticking them outside and exposing them to the bitter coldness of a UK winter would make them meet their maker, but some evidence suggests that lower temperatures actually preserve the lifespan of an LED installation, meaning they could face the cruelest of blizzards and the harshest of downpours, and your LED Christmas lights would still hang proudly for months and years afterwards – approximately 50,000 hours according to the average lifespan of the LED.
All of this also means that you’re producing much less waste than you’d usually do if you were to stick with old lighting which, over the years of replacing, can add up to some serious landfill waste.
And yes, LEDs can be a little more expensive immediately, but this pales in comparison to the savings that you’d be making once your filament bulbs do eventually wither and die.
So there you have it! The definitive guide to why LEDs are the future of your Christmases from now on. Inexpensive over the long term, hardy, and safe – what else could you ask for?
And a very merry Christmas from all of us here at Cube Lighting and Design! We hope to see you in the new year!
Ready to take the step into the future of lighting? Contact Cube Lighting & Design here to see if you qualify for free LED lighting!
Want to keep reading? Check out our latest blog post here: Where LEDs fit into climate change goals
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