NEW ENERGY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Energy Adviser: LED lights economical way to brighten holidays
Bruce Carter, December 03, 2006 (The Columbian)
- Your choices in holiday lights have expanded significantly over the last several years. From the old C-7 and C-9 incandescent lights to mini lights to the new light-emitting diode lights, homeowners have never had more variety.

- LED lights are the latest entry into the holiday lighting market. These lights use a solid-state semiconductor to convert electricity directly into light. LED lights use less than one-tenth of a watt, produce virtually no heat and have an extremely long service life -- up to 100,000 hours in some cases. The color of the light is determined by the chemical makeup of the bulb, with red, green, blue, white and yellow currently available. The color also determines its cost, with white and blue LEDs being the most costly.
- Brightness can be an issue with LED lights. When viewed from the front the lights appear bright, but can appear dim when viewed from the side. To compensate for this, multi-faceted flame- or ball-shaped lenses cover the LED to catch and reflect the light, making it appear brighter when viewed from the side…
- LED Christmas lights…use a miniscule amount of electricity, they last virtually forever and the new, larger refractive lenses make them nearly as bright as the old incandescent lights. With many homeowners installing larger displays every year, LED lights [seem] the perfect choice…
- The cost of operation and longevity are the major advantages of LED holiday lighting. Running 20, 100-LED light strings for 10 hours per day for 35 days during the holidays will cost $2.16! Running 20 strings of icicle lights will cost $38.64.
- The price of LED holiday lights has dropped over the years as more competition has entered the marketplace. However, while they are less expensive than they were several years ago, expect to pay more than traditional holiday lighting. A string of 35 lights retails for $8 to $10, while a 100-LED string will cost $10 to $15…