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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Holiday String Lights in Nova Scotia? (2026)
LED string lights use around 0.07 watts per bulb, so a 300 bulb string draws about 20 watts. Old incandescent strings use 10 to 20 times more for the same length.
A typical holiday string lights (20 W) costs C$0.004 per hour, or about C$0.72 per month at 6 hours a day in Nova Scotia. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (5 W) | C$0.001 | C$0.006 | C$0.18 | C$2.19 |
| Typical (20 W) | C$0.004 | C$0.024 | C$0.72 | C$8.76 |
| High (100 W) | C$0.020 | C$0.12 | C$3.60 | C$43.80 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 6 h/day ≈ 44 kWh per year.
One day of a holiday string lights (0.48 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 2.7km in an electric car
- 4.8hours of TV
- 11hours of a laptop
- 53hours of an LED bulb
In Nova Scotia, with electricity at C$0.20 per kWh (source: Hydro-Québec 2025 comparison, 2025-04), a typical holiday string lights costs C$0.004 per hour and about C$8.76 per year at 6 hours a day. That is about 43% more than the national average for Canada (C$0.50 per month), because electricity in Nova Scotia costs C$0.20 per kWh against C$0.14 nationally. Each C$1.00 of electricity buys roughly 250.0 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a holiday string lights
- Replace incandescent strings with LED. The payback is usually a single season.
- Use an outdoor timer so lights run 5 to 6 hours rather than all night.
- Fewer, brighter strings often look better and cost less than many dim ones.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Christmas lights cost to run?
A typical LED display of 1,000 bulbs on for 6 hours uses about 0.4 kWh a day. Incandescent would use 5 to 8 kWh.
Do LED string lights use much electricity?
No. Even large displays cost a few dollars or pounds per season.
Is it safe to leave string lights on all night?
LEDs run cool, but a timer saves electricity and reduces risk.
Cost by region
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