Some say you can’t put a price on Christmas spirit, but your electric company can, and a new report has found how you can tell how much it costs to run your holiday lights.
The report comes from Nexstar, and in it, is a formula in which homeowners can price out exactly how much they will spend on electricity to keep their lights shining bright through December.
The report found that whether you have only lights on your tree, or have it so your house is visible from low orbit, the type of bulbs you use can make or break the bank.
There are two different bulb types, LED or incandescent, and multiple sizes, most commonly ranging from mini bulbs to as large as C9, the report said.
While LED lights have less of an impact, a study by ElectricRate found that a single strand of incandescent bulbs costs and average of $15.12 to run for the season.
However, when it comes to your bill, electricity usage is charged by the kilowatt-hour, and with different lights carrying different wattages, prices can vary. To start the formula and discover how much you are spending, first find the wattages of your lights.
Once the wattage of a strand of lights is found, multiply it by the hours per day the lights will be on and divide by 1,000 to find the kilowatt hours.
After that number is calculated, multiply it by your cost of power usage found on an electric bill to find your cost per day.
Decorating for the holidays is a long tradition that many plan on continuing this year, even with prices for most decorations rising, according to a recent survey from BankRate.
While the cost of lights has risen, Americans spent an average of $231 last year on holiday decorations, and with inflation, that number is expected to be near $250. Take out the tree and decorations alone are expected to cost upwards of $68 on average, BankRate found.
Natural tree prices have also been affected, with a report from The New York Times finding that farm-grown Christmas trees are expected to be as much as 10% more than they were last year with tight supplies and other costs rising.
Despite the higher prices, a poll from the Real Christmas Tree Board found that 85% of those surveyed thought “the price of a real Christmas tree is worth it,” even with rising costs.
On top of that, 73% agreed with the statement, “If my personal holiday budget is tight this year, I will prioritize buying a real Christmas tree.”
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