Do fairy lights consume more electricity?

Fairy lights typically consume a similar amount of electricity as Christmas lights because they are essentially the same type of decorative lighting. However, their electricity consumption can vary based on a few key factors:

Key Factors That Affect Electricity Consumption:

1. Type of Bulb:
   • LED Fairy Lights: These are the most energy-efficient type and use much less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs.
   • Incandescent Fairy Lights: Older-style fairy lights with incandescent bulbs use significantly more electricity.
2. Number of Lights:
   • Fairy lights are often strung with hundreds or even thousands of tiny bulbs. The more bulbs you have, the more electricity the lights will consume.
3. Wattage of Bulbs:
   • The wattage of each individual light determines how much power it consumes. LED fairy lights usually have very low wattage per bulb (often around 0.05 watts), while incandescent fairy lights might use 0.3 watts to 0.5 watts per bulb.

Electricity Consumption of Fairy Lights:

Let's break down the energy consumption for different types of fairy lights:

1. LED Fairy Lights (Low Power):

• Average wattage per bulb: 0.05 watts

• 100 LED bulbs: $100 \times 0.05 \, \text{watts} = 5 \, \text{watts}$

  • Hourly electricity use: 5 watts
  • For 30 days at 5 hours per day: $5 \, \text{watts} \times 5 \, \text{hours} = 25 \, \text{watt-hours per day}$ $25 \, \text{watt-hours} \times 30 = 750 \, \text{watt-hours}$ $750 \, \text{watt-hours} \div 1000 = 0.75 \, \text{kWh}$

So, 100 LED fairy lights would use about 0.75 kWh of electricity over 30 days.

2. Incandescent Fairy Lights (Higher Power):

• Average wattage per bulb: 0.3 watts

• 100 incandescent bulbs: $100 \times 0.3 \, \text{watts} = 30 \, \text{watts}$

  • Hourly electricity use: 30 watts
  • For 30 days at 5 hours per day: $30 \, \text{watts} \times 5 \, \text{hours} = 150 \, \text{watt-hours per day}$ $150 \, \text{watt-hours} \times 30 = 4500 \, \text{watt-hours}$ $4500 \, \text{watt-hours} \div 1000 = 4.5 \, \text{kWh}$

So, 100 incandescent fairy lights would use about 4.5 kWh of electricity over 30 days.

Cost Comparison:

Assuming an average electricity rate of £0.30 per kWh (in the UK):

• For 100 LED fairy lights:
  $0.75 \, \text{kWh} \times 0.30 = £0.23$ for 30 days
• For 100 incandescent fairy lights:
  $4.5 \, \text{kWh} \times 0.30 = £1.35$ for 30 days

Conclusion:

• LED fairy lights are much more energy-efficient and cost-effective compared to traditional incandescent lights.
• Incandescent fairy lights consume significantly more electricity and are more expensive to run over time.

Tips for Saving Energy:

• Switch to LED fairy lights: These will reduce energy consumption and cost, while still providing the same beautiful effect.
• Use timers or smart plugs: Set your fairy lights to turn off after a certain time to avoid leaving them on unnecessarily.