- Many Brits are going all out with festive displays, with more than one million adding snow machines, inflatables and high-wattage signs this year[1]
- One million homes say they’ll include inflatables in their display, while 800,000 will have illuminated outdoor signs and 600,000 will have snow machines[1]
- Experts warn that snow machines could add £9.13 to bills, while fan-powered inflatables can use three times as much energy as string lights[2]
- One in three households (33%) will turn their Christmas lights on in November, although 1 December is the most common light switch-on date[3]
- Three-fifths of households (62%) will put up lights this year despite high energy prices[1], but a quarter (24%) are reducing the size of their display[4]
- Uswitch analysis shows households can still enjoy festive lights and decorations this year without worrying about energy bills.
Snow machines, inflatables and high-wattage signs are the show-stopping decorations being added to Christmas displays by more than one million households this winter[1], according to new research by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
One million households say they’ll feature inflatables, which could include Santa, snowmen, elves or even dinosaurs, in their front-garden displays this year, while 600,000 homes will create a festive wintry scene by using snow machines[1].
On average, households will have their decorations up for a whopping 38 days, but anyone using snow machines will not want to keep them running for that whole period[3]. Energy experts warn that snow machines, which can use 900 watts of power, could add £9.13 to bills if used for just one hour a day for 38 days[2].
A five-foot inflatable fan-powered snowman using 24 watts of energy would cost £1.94 to run if used for eight hours a day for the full festive period. A typical string of eight-watt fairy lights would add just 65p to bills for the same period[2].
Table: Cost of running festive lights and gadgets
| Gadget | Power | Cost for one hour | Cost of eight hours | Cost for one hour a night for 38 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow machine | 900W | 24p | £1.90 | £9.13 |
| High-wattage signs | 100W | 2.6p | 21p | £1.01 |
| Fan-powered inflatable | 24W | 0.6p | 5p | 24p |
| Snowflake projector | 20W | 0.5p | 4p | 20p |
| String of 100 LED fairy lights | 8W | 0.2p | 2p | 8p |
Source: Uswitch.com
Almost 800,000 households will illuminate their gardens with outdoor signs that use more than 100 watts of power[1], adding £8.12 to bills if used eight hours a day for 38 days[2].
Incredibly, one in three households (33%) will turn their lights on in November, moving early to brighten up the dark winter nights. 1 December is the average light switch-on date, but eager Manchester households will be switching their lights on the earliest, with displays illuminating homes and front gardens from November 24[3].
In contrast, the most popular date for households in Norwich, Bristol and Plymouth to get their decorations up is December 5.
Table: Average switch-on date for UK cities
| Most common Christmas ‘decs up’ day per region | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Nov | 25 Nov | 26 Nov | 27 Nov | 28 Nov | 29 Nov | 30 Nov |
| Manchester | Cardiff | NewcastleLiverpool Sheffield | London | Nottingham | ||
| 1 Dec | 2 Dec | 3 Dec | 4 Dec | 5 Dec | 6 Dec | 7 Dec |
| SouthamptonBelfast | Glasgow | EdinburghLeedsBrighton | NorwichBristolPlymouth |
Source: Uswitch.com
In total, 34 million households (62%) will put up Christmas lights this year despite high energy prices, but a quarter of them (24%) are reducing the size of their display. One in ten (10%) are reducing how many lights they use due to high energy bills, while 10% want to reduce their carbon footprint[4].
Uswitch analysis shows households can still enjoy festive lights and decorations this year without worrying about adding too much to energy bills.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “Everyone loves to see an extravagantly decorated house over the festive season, so it’s fun to hear that inflatables are on the rise this year and households aren’t letting energy prices put them off.
“Hopefully it will give some peace of mind that most modern lights use LED bulbs that don’t consume a lot of energy, so households stringing up simple fairy lights shouldn’t worry about adding a lot to their bills.
“However, anyone opting for a snow machine or high-wattage illuminated sign may want to keep a close eye on how long they are running for. With snow machines adding £9.13 to bills over the festive period if they’re used for just one hour a day, costs will quickly add up if they are kept running for multiple hours at a time.
“Households looking for an easy way to see how much energy they’re using over the festive period can download the free Uswitch app, which lets consumers connect to their smart meter and track their energy use.”
Monitor your energy use this winter and keep an eye out for ways to earn with the free Uswitch app
For more information
Rianna York | Energy PR Manager
rianna.york@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Research conducted online by Opinium, 7th to 11th November 2025, among 2,000 UK residents, weighted to be nationally representative.
1. Respondents who celebrate Christmas were asked ‘Which of the following lights and gadgets will you/did you put up to celebrate Christmas?’. 26% said string lights indoors, 49% said tree lights indoors, 22% said light-up ornaments indoors, 16% said string lights outdoors, 11% said tree lights outdoors, 8% said light-up ornaments outdoors, 12% said other type of indoor lights, 7% said other type of outdoor lights, 5% said inflatables, 2% said snow machine, 2% said outdoor signs using more than 100 watts, 19% said N/A does not apply to my household, 8% said don’t know / not sure. Of 2,000 UK adults, 1240 will put up Christmas Lights this year. 1240 / 2000 * 55,022,253 (UK adult population) = 34,113,797.
2. Snow machine using 0.9 kW of energy x 1 hour a day x 26.35 pence per kWh = £9.13.
Inflatable using 0.024 kW of energy x 8 hours a day for 38.5 days x 26.35 pence per kWh = £1.94.
Fairy lights using 0.008 kW of energy x 8 hours a day for 38.5 days x 26.35 pence per kWh = £0.65.
Outdoor sign using 0.1 kW of energy x 8 hours a day for 38.5 days x 26.35 pence per kWh = £8.12.
3. Respondents were asked ‘When will you put up and take down your Christmas Lights?’ Average for putting up lights was 3.5 weeks before Christmas, average for taking down lights was two weeks after Christmas. 3.5 weeks + 2 weeks = 5.5 weeks = 38.5 days. See table for regional breakdown.
4. Respondents were asked ‘How has the number of Christmas lights you are putting up this year changed compared to last year?’. 56% said I’ll put up the same number of Christmas lights as last year, 10% said I am reducing the number of Christmas lights I put up this year due to energy bills, 10% said I am reducing the number of Christmas lights I put up this year to reduce my carbon footprint, 8% said I am going to put up more Christmas lights than last year, 8% said I am reducing the number of Christmas lights I put up this year for another reason, 12% said Don’t know / not sure.