THE COST OF CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

How many times have you passed that house covered in Christmas lights and thought, “Wow, stunning… but what’s their electricity bill?” With energy prices rising, it’s natural to wonder if fairy lights will cost a fortune.
 

Check out our examples based on current UK electricity prices, or try our Christmas Lights Cost Calculator to see exactly what your display will cost.

 

Do Christmas lights cost a lot to run?
 

The short answer is NO !

Concerns about electricity use for outdoor lights are understandable, especially with rising prices. Christmas lighting on buildings and trees transform outdoor spaces, creating a bright, uplifting ambience, and for once the cost, even when on for hours is not high because LED's are so much more efficient than anything that came before.

Fortunately, LED lights are very energy-efficient, often costing only a few pennies per month even with regular use.

 

 

Festive Lights Christmas Lights Cost Calculator
Simply enter the wattage, hours of use, and cost per kWh (pre-filled with the October 2025 price cap of 26.35 p/kWh*). The calculator shows the daily and monthly running costs. Don’t know your lights’ wattage? We’ve included typical examples and comparisons below.

Electricity calculator

Estimate your daily and monthly costs by entering the light’s wattage, usage hours, and cost per kWh (default 26.35p/kWh*, which is the maximum under the Oct-Dec 2025 price cap for typical users energy price cap). Don’t know the wattage? Check the product specification or get in touch. Below are some examples and comparisons with other household appliances.

Energy Calculator

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Cost per day: 0p (£0.00)
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LED is the answer

Outdoor spaces add a bright, uplifting ambience, but no one wants high electricity bills to spoil that. Luckily, LED garden lights are very cost-effective, often just a few pennies a month even with regular use. Read on for details and try our easy electricity cost calculator.

 

Example Costs

Product Type Wattage (W) Avg. Hours of Use Daily Cost* Monthly Cost*
5m Festoon Lights, 200 LEDs 3.1W 6 0.5p 15.29p (£0.15)
5m Festoon Lights, 60 LEDs 3.5W 6 0.57p 17.27p (£0.17)
Washing Machine 2100W 0.5 28.38p £8.63
Electric Kettle 3000W 0.2 (12 mins) 16.22p £4.93

 

Some practical examples 

*Calculated using the energy price guarantee (October 2025) maximum average electricity unit rate of 26.35 pence per kWh. Price information from Money Saving Expert. Rates may vary by region, payment method and meter type. Standing charges are not accounted for in these calculations.

20m LED Cluster Lights, 1500 LEDs

Should you illuminate your Christmas tree (indoors or outdoors) with 20m of cluster lights, these 4.2w lights could cost you a grand total of... 3.32p per day or 99p for an entire month*, based on 6-hours use per day.

Don’t call your opticians just yet; you read that right. That's less than 1p per connectable 4m set, per day.

5m ConnectGo Icicle Lights and a 1.4m Reindeer

Icicle lights are a Christmas staple, guaranteed to spread the festive cheer to all your family and friends. Combined with a glowing reindeer figure, these will transform your home from the mundane to the magical.

To run this display from top to mistle-toe for the full 31 days in December, from 5pm-11pm at night will cost you a grand total of… less than 30p for the whole of December!* That’s 13.12p for 5 metres of our 2.73 watt icicle lights and 16.86p for a 3.5 watt rattan reindeer. Watt’s not to like!

8m x 2m Net Lights, 20m String Lights, 4m Cluster Lights and 20m Icicle Lights

Should you really push the boat out this year, running this entire display 6-hours-a-day for the month would cost you just £4.76*.

That's £3.36 for the net lights, 67p for 20m worth of string lights, 20p for the cluster lights and 53p for 20m of low voltage icicle lights.