LED vs. Incandescent Christmas Lights: Which Is Better?
For most homes, LED Christmas lights are the better choice. They use a small fraction of the power, stay cool to the touch, handle Idaho cold well and last many more seasons, while incandescent lights still cost less at the store and have that classic warm glow.
LED vs. incandescent at a glance
- Energy: ENERGY STAR says a certified LED light string uses about 92% less energy than an incandescent string.
- Heat: LED strings stay cool to the touch. Incandescent bulbs give off 90% of their energy as heat.
- Lifespan: certified LED strings can last up to 10 times longer than incandescent strands.
- Toughness: certified LED strings have no filament or glass to break.
- Cold: LEDs work well in cold weather.
- Look: incandescent has the classic warm glow. Warm white LEDs come close, and cool white LEDs look bluer.
- Up-front cost: incandescent strands usually cost less to buy.
How much less electricity do LED Christmas lights use?
A lot less. On its decorative light strings page, ENERGY STAR says the power used by just one 7-watt incandescent bulb could run 140 LEDs, enough to light two 24-foot strings.
That gap adds up fast in a Boise December. In early and mid December, the sun sets around 5:09 PM, so your lights run for hours every evening, for weeks. If you’re lighting a long roofline, or the front, sides and back of a big home, LEDs keep it easy on the power bill. Less power per strand also means less load on each outdoor outlet.
Do incandescent Christmas lights get hot?
Yes, much warmer than LEDs. An incandescent bulb makes light by heating a thin metal filament until it glows, and most of the power turns into heat instead of light. ENERGY STAR says LED light strings are cool to the touch, which lowers the risk of fire. Idaho Power’s holiday safety tips say the same thing: LED strings are more efficient and safer because they give off less heat.
Heat matters most where lights touch something that can dry out or melt, like a wreath, garland, a tree or plastic decorations.
How long do LED Christmas lights last?
Much longer, and they wear out in a different way. An incandescent bulb burns out when its filament breaks. An LED slowly gets dimmer instead, so ENERGY STAR explains that LED life is based on when the light output drops by 30 percent, not when it goes dark.
They’re tougher, too. ENERGY STAR says certified LED strings have no moving parts, filaments or glass, so they’re much more durable and shock-resistant. That counts on a windy, snowy roofline, and on strands that get packed away every year.
One thing doesn’t change: on many strands, LED or incandescent, one loose or missing bulb can take a whole section dark. Here’s what to check when Christmas lights stop working.
Do LED Christmas lights work in cold weather?
Yes, and that’s good news here. The U.S. Department of Energy lists good performance in cold temperatures among LEDs’ strengths, along with long life and resistance to breakage and vibration. In Boise, the December average high is just 38.8°F, and lights stay up through the coldest nights of the year.
Cold isn’t the only winter test. Snow, ice and wind also work on plugs, cords and clips. Use lights and cords labeled for outdoor use, plug them into a GFCI-protected outdoor outlet, and keep connections up off the ground. More on how Christmas lights handle Idaho snow and rain.
Why do LED Christmas lights look different?
It comes down to how each one makes light. An incandescent bulb glows from a white-hot filament, and colored incandescent bulbs get their color from colored or painted glass. The Department of Energy notes that LEDs give off nearly one color of light, which makes them very efficient for colored lights, and that color quality can vary from one product to the next.
- Warm white is the closest match to the old incandescent glow.
- Cool white looks crisp and a little blue, and it can look icy next to snow on the roof.
- Pick one white. Two shades of white on one roofline look patchy at night, and so do LED and incandescent strands side by side.
- Test before you buy a lot. Plug in one strand at dusk and look at it from the street.
When do incandescent lights still make sense?
Sometimes they do, and that’s fine.
- You love the old glow. Some people just prefer it.
- You already own them and they work. Strands in good shape can finish out their life. Look over every strand and cord first: Idaho Power says to replace power and extension cords that are damaged or frayed.
Just remember that incandescents draw more power every night they’re on, and you’ll likely buy new ones sooner.
Can you mix LED and incandescent lights?
On the same house, yes. Keep each run all LED or all incandescent, though, and don’t connect more strands end to end than the maker allows. Idaho Power says to follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how many strands to connect, and the tag or box on each strand tells you the limit.
What lights do we hang?
Every display we install uses bright LED lights that are easy on your power bill. They’re commercial-grade, and the install is built to hold up all season through an Idaho winter.
- Custom-cut to fit. We measure your roofline and peaks and cut every strand to length, so no extra cords or spare lights hang off the house.
- Roof-safe clips that grip your roofline with no nails, screws or sticky residue, and never pull on your gutters.
- Every strand tested on install day, and a walk around the display with you before we leave.
- Mid-season fixes: if a strand goes dark or the weather knocks something loose, call us and we’ll come back to fix it.
- Takedown on your date, usually in January or February. Your lights go into labeled bins in our storage unit until next season.
We also wrap trees and bushes and hang wreaths and garland in the same install. We hang lights all over the valley, from long rooflines in Star to homes in Meridian, Eagle and Nampa. Want clear glass behind the lights, too? See exterior window cleaning.
See Christmas light installation in Boise and get your free quote. We answer every quote request within one business day, with zero pressure to book. Or call or text (208) 418-7929, Monday through Saturday, 8am to 7pm.