Festive fanatics that have transformed their home with Christmas lights this year have been warned they could be hit by whopping bills running into thousands of pounds for additional power usage.
Personal insolvency provider Carrington Dean has calculated that Scots who love to decorate the outside of their houses with silhouettes of Christmas characters using rope lights will rack up the biggest bills.
Having five of these on for six hours a day could cost £510 if put up on December 8 and taken down on January 5 – the 12th day of Christmas. But turning them off a week early, on December 29, would drop the cost to £362, a saving of £148.
Carrington Dean created a Christmas Lights Calculator to help people learn how much their displays could cost, and how much they could save by reducing the time their decorations are up or investing in different types of light.
Decking the halls will cost more this year
The most expensive light to run is a Santa rope light archway, costing £6.08 to run for six hours a day, which equates to more than £188 for the month.
Homes with ten Christmas characters which are lit up for over six hours a day throughout December and until January 5th – the 12th day of Christmas – could face paying over £1,000 for extra electricity.
But the good news is an average set of indoor mains-powered fairy lights would cost just 12p to run for six hours a day and a LED inflatable, such as an inflatable Santa, would cost £3.67 to run for the same period.
“It pays to be aware of how much you’re spending”
Carrington Dean gathered information on the energy usage of popular Christmas lights to learn how much they would cost to run this year.
Layla Johnson, regional manager at Carrington Dean said: “We all know this Christmas will be more difficult this year. Rising energy costs only add to the growing pressure that other seasonal spending such as bigger food shops and presents are likely to cause.
“Like all household outgoings, it pays off to be aware of how much you’re spending, rather than bury your head in the sand, which is something a lot of our customers often tell us once they’ve started to take control of their debt.
“This is why we decided to gather the data and create a calculator for people to use. The results are surprising – it’s reassuring to learn that a popular set of indoor fairy lights is the cheapest option. Even indulging in a fun freestanding decoration could cost less than £1 per day to run.
“If people don’t wait to cut back on the number of lights they put up this year, they could compromise on cost by unplugging them a few days early or reducing the time they’re on in the day, and still enjoy the magic of Christmas on a budget.”
Learn how much your Christmas lights could cost
Methodology:
Carrington Dean looked at 16 different Christmas light items available from Wilko and Argos, and looked at the wattage to understand how much energy they use.
Carrington Dean then used current kwh/hour costs of 34p to understand how much it will cost per hour to use each item, and created a number of scenarios to learn how much they would cost to run over time.
If you’re worried about managing your finances after the Christmas period, talk to Carrington Dean. Expert advice and support is available to find a debt solution suited to your circumstances. Call 0800 043 1320 to speak with an advisor.
