- Almost six million households will turn their Christmas lights on in November, with one in ten (11%) having switched them on already[1]
- The average light switch-on date is 1 December, although a quarter (28%) of households will not put their lights on until two weeks before Christmas[1]
- Seven in ten households (69%) will put up Christmas lights this year despite high energy prices[2], with people set to keep them on for 37 days on average[3]
- Nearly seven in ten (69%) homes are using cheap-to-run LED bulbs indoors[4], which cost £5 less to run over the Christmas period versus battery-powered lights[5]
- However, nearly three million households (14%) are reducing the number of lights they will put up this year because of worries over energy bills[6]
- Uswitch analysis shows that households can still enjoy festive lights and decorations this year as they cost only pennies to run each week.
Nearly six million households will turn their Christmas lights on in November this year, with more than two million having switched them on already[1], according to new research from Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
Almost seven in ten households (69%) will put Christmas lights up this year[2], with people planning to keep them switched on for a whopping 37 days on average[3].
The average Christmas light switch-on date is 1 December, with them being taken down on 7 January. However, a quarter (23%) of households will not put their lights on until two weeks before Christmas[1].
Edinburgh residents are first to switch on their Christmas lights on average, with their turn-on date of 11 November more than 20 days earlier than most Brits.
Table: Average switch-on date for UK cities
| Location | Average switch-on date |
|---|---|
| Edinburgh | 11 November |
| Newcastle | 12 November |
| Nottingham | 23 November |
| Cardiff | 28 November |
| Norwich | 29 November |
| Liverpool | 30 November |
| Glasgow | 1 December |
| Birmingham | 1 December |
| London | 3 December |
| Leeds | 5 December |
| Bristol | 6 December |
| Southampton | 6 December |
| Sheffield | 6 December |
| Manchester | 7 December |
Source: Uswitch.com
Nearly three-fifths of households (59%) will put up tree lights indoors this year, two-fifths (39%) will put up string lights, and a quarter (27%) will have light-up ornaments. Outdoors, a fifth (21%) will use string lights and 11% will display illuminated ornaments[7].
Up to seven in ten households (69%) use LED bulbs in their indoor lights, but those using older Christmas lights are more likely to be using inefficient bulbs. In their outdoor ornaments, a quarter of households (27%) still use halogens and a fifth have incandescent bulbs (22%), while three fifths (57%) have cheap-to-run LEDs[4].
The sale of halogen bulbs was banned in September 2018[8], meaning that Christmas decorations more than six years old should be checked for less energy-efficient lights. A fifth of households (22%) are still using lights more than six years old, while the average home’s decorations are five years old[9].
There can be a big difference in the running costs of LEDs and less efficient bulb types. A six-watt string of 1,000 LED lights left on for eight hours a day could cost just 8.2p a week in electricity, but the same size string with halogen bulbs would cost 34p[5].
LED lights run from mains electricity also represent good value compared to battery-powered lights. Running a 1,000-string set of lights for eight hours a day for 37 days would cost 43.5p in electricity. The same set would need three batteries costing £5.99 in total[5], although the batteries may still have some energy left for another year.
Although Christmas lights can be enjoyed without spending large sums on energy, nearly three million households (14%) are reducing the number of lights they will put up this year because of worries over energy bills. A further 11% of consumers are reducing their Christmas lights to cut down their carbon footprint[6].
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “With the days getting darker, it’s always good to see some Christmas lights brightening up our streets, so we need to raise a glass to the residents of Edinburgh who have already got their decorations up.
“Most modern lights use LED bulbs that do not use a lot of energy to run, so you don’t need to worry about your bills when putting up your Christmas lights.
“However, the fifth of households still using lights over six years old might want to check what type of bulb they use, as the cost of running the old halogen ones can quickly add up.
“Households looking for an easy way to see how much energy they are using over the festive period can download the free Uswitch app, which lets consumers connect to their smart meter and track their energy use.”
Track your energy usage with the Uswitch app for personalised energy insights.
For more information
Beverley Noble | Energy PR Manager
beverley.noble@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Research conducted online by Opinium, 25th to 29th October 2024, among 2,000 UK residents, weighted to be nationally representative.
- Respondents were asked ‘When did you, or when will you, turn on your Christmas lights?’ 411 said four weeks or more before Christmas. 411 / 2,000 = 21%. 21% of 28.4 million UK households = 5.8 million households. 147 have turned them on already. 147 / 2,000 = 10.7%. 562 will not turn them on before two weeks prior to Xmas. 562/2,000 = 28%.
- 1,376 respondents said they would put on Christmas lights this year. 1,376 / 2,000 = 68.8%.
- Average switch-on date is 1 December, average switch-off date is 7 January = 37 days.
- Respondents were asked ‘What type of bulbs are your Christmas lights? Please select all that apply if you have more than one set of Christmas lights.’ 69% said LEDs, 9% said halogens, 9% said incandescent, 3% said other, 20% said not sure.
- 1,000 light string of LEDs uses eight watts. 0.008 kW x 0.245 x eight hours x seven days = 8.2p. Halogen bulbs consume 320% more energy. A 1,000 string light set using batteries needs three ‘C’ batteries. A four pack of ‘C’ batteries costs £7.99. £7.99 / 4 = 1.99 per battery.
- Respondents were asked ‘How has the number of Christmas lights you are putting up this year changed compared to last year?’ 57% said I’ll put up the same number of Christmas lights as last year, 14% said I am reducing the number of Christmas lights I put up this year due to energy bills, 11% said I am reducing the number of Christmas lights I put up this year to reduce my carbon footprint, 8% said I am reducing the number of Christmas lights I put up this year for another reason, 9% said I am going to put up more Christmas lights than last year, 9% said don’t know.
- Respondents were asked ‘Which of the following lights will/did you put up to celebrate Christmas?’ 14% said ‘N/A does not apply to my household’ while 8% said ‘don’t know/not sure’. 39% said string lights indoors, 59% said tree lights indoors, 27% light-up ornaments indoors, 21% said string lights outdoors, 19% said tree lights outdoors, 11% said light-up ornaments outdoors, 8% said other type of indoor lights, 3% other type of outdoor lights.
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/end-of-halogen-light-bulbs-spells-brighter-and-cleaner-future
- Respondents were asked ‘Thinking about the Christmas lights you’ve had for the longest time, when were they bought?’ 22% said more than seven years ago. The average was 5.4 years.
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to find their energy, broadband and mobile deals than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.