Christmas is almost near, though when you live in the Philippines, it actually started three months ago last September! Our country is known to have the longest Christmas season yet, with holiday songs already playing in malls when the “ber” months hit. Aside from the presents and the food, a key component of every Christmas celebration would be the lights, whether in one’s own home or in the public displays that can be seen all around the city.



Recently, there has been a surge of public light displays around Metro Manila such as the one in Ayala Triangle and the Tunnel of Light in Tiendesitas. This is most likely due to the rise of LED technology in the market, which allows the same level of luminescence (or higher) while consuming way less electricity. The reduction in energy consumption is significantly large, with around 70-85% of energy needs shaved off.

The mini-lightbulb strings that are used for household Christmas displays usually come in either incandescent or LED. A string of 1,000 incandescent lights can be estimated at 200W rating while the same amount of LED stringed lights would net roughly a 48W rating. Given an average 6 hour use period daily, the energy consumed would amount to 1.2kWh for the incandescent string while 0.3 kWh for its LED counterpart. Considering that LED emits less heat, this would be a safer alternative for your holiday light display since it reduces fire hazards. For lighting which we wrap around a Christmas tree or wreaths, this is a notable factor to consider.

Another energy conservation measure for this Yuletide seasons would be to install a timer or sensor for your light display, as so the lights only operate when there are people around or between a certain time period. Of course, a foolproof measure to reduce energy use would be to simplify your household decor and use less lights overall.

Hopefully this blog post would give a short insight on Christmas lights and its energy consumption just in time for the season. Wishing everyone a Happy Holidays! 🙂