Four Factors to Consider When Choosing Christmas Lights This Year

Every year, when the festive period creeps around the corner, we must turn our attentions to christmas trees, christmas lights and other decorations. It always seems to be a matter of just picking up a few extra items each year but there can be more to it than that, especially when one may wish to keep costs down or add something different inside or outside the home. Of course, coloured fairy lights are a must and even within this one category there is a vast array of choices to consider, from strings of incandescent lights to curtains of flashing led lights. So, we have looked at four factors in particular that one should consider before making a final decision. LED or Incandescent Choosing led lights is generally regarded as the wisest choice. The cost of these sets of led lights is actually greater than the regular bulbs, but the efficiency level of leds is much higher, using up as must as 30 times less electrical energy that their alternatives. As a result, a considerable amount in costs is saved over the course of the Christmas period. In tests, leds were found to use as little as 3 kilowatt hours of electricity, while the incandescent equivalent used more than 100 kilowatt hours. Another advantage that led lights have over their alternatives is a better safety record. This is because they remain cool despite the live electric current running through them. Normally, a light bulb will become hot while the bulb is on, a fact anyone who has tried to change a light bulb that had just been on can testify to that fact. The problem is that certain materials hanging too closely to the lights, such as cardboard, paper or tinsel, can ignite by this heat, causing a fire. Having bulbs that remain cool removes this safety fear. Finally, leds win hands down when it comes to life span, with as long as 50,000 hours of use being reported in some surveys, compared to 15,000 hours from fluorescent tubes and just 2,000 hours from incandescent bulbs. The sheer difference in life span means that, regardless of what money had been paid for the string of led lights, the price was well worth it. Indoor and Outdoor A second factor to consider is the amount of lights that are to be used outdoors, if indeed there are to be any. While indoor lights can easily be plugged to the main electrical power supply, the outdoor lights may not be conveniently placed. So, take a careful look at where the best places to position the lights are, based on the nearest power supply. However, remember that it is a very bad idea to have a multi socket power adaptor outdoors as weather conditions could easily contribute to an electrical short that would knock the power out of the home completely. The best option is to use the battery powered lights that are commonly available as they allow the lights to be placed anywhere, even several metres away from the house. This outdoor lights are also much more durable and are usually double insulated. Light Style and Colour There is a wide variety of light designs that can be wrapped or hung around a tree, bush, pillar or window frame, outside of the building, or along the ceilings, pictures or tables in side the home or office. There are the familiar string lights, and curtain lights, which give a cascading effect on a wall, or net lights, which can be laid over large objects, such as shrubs, and icicle lights that are commonly hung from window sills outdoors. The colours available on christmas lights range from snow white to more festive reds, greens, blues and pinks, as well as a combination of these. The Flashing Option Highly popular flashing led lights usually come with a selection of eight flashing options, each providing a very different effect. The advantage of the flashing option is its aesthetic impact, allowing one to focus attention on a specific decorative item, or to simply provide a spectacle that is more attractive to look at than a set of static coloured fairy lights. The final decision is really a matter of preference as little difference in terms of costs or efficiency exists.