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Thanksgiving has come and gone, and many households are starting to decorate their homes for the holidays. Soon, our streets and neighborhoods should be filled with twinkling holiday lights. If lights are part of your holiday traditions, this year, LED lights offer a new option to save energy, save money on your bills, and more.

What are LED lights? LED is an acronym for “light emitting diode.” Lights are traditionally miniature incandescent bulbs, with a filament inside them. Basically, LED lights do not have this filament, but rather, are lit by moving electrons in semiconductor material.

These have many advantages. For one, they don’t burn as hot, making them safer, and cool to the touch. They can be encased in a plastic material, instead of the thin glass that older lights are made of, making them harder to break. The wires are thicker, making them harder to tangle. They last longer, sometimes 20 years. And of course, they save energy – using around 80% less energy than traditional lights.

LED technology has been around for a while, but has only caught on for holiday lighting in recent years. Now they come in all colors, and can blink. The past three years have seen LED lights grow more and more popular – they have been used on the Rockefeller Center tree since 2007.

Miller Creek Ranch

What are the disadvantages to LED lights? They cost more upfront, for one. You can expect to pay two or three dollars more, per strand. The main complaint with the lights is the appearance – the glow is just different, and some don’t like it. But as we get more used to seeing these lights, the safety and efficiency is something we can all feel good about seeing this holiday season.

Photo: Miller Creek Ranch

Read more:

Wise Geek’s LED article

“What We Are Decking the Halls With: LED Christmas Lights” from the Omaha World Herald