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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Holiday String Lights in the UK? (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 £0.005 per hour, or about £0.94 per month at 6 hours a day in United Kingdom. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (5 W) | £0.001 | £0.008 | £0.23 | £2.85 |
| Typical (20 W) | £0.005 | £0.031 | £0.94 | £11.39 |
| High (100 W) | £0.026 | £0.16 | £4.68 | £56.94 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 6 h/day ≈ 44 kWh per year.
In the UK, with electricity at £0.26 per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026, 2026-07), a typical holiday string lights costs £0.005 per hour and about £11.39 per year at 6 hours a day. Each £1.00 of electricity buys roughly 192.3 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
- United States (average)
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Canada (average)
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- India