Incandescent vs LED Christmas Lights: Which is the Best?

When it comes to choosing Christmas lights, the debate between incandescent vs LED Christmas lights is both timely and relevant.

As the holiday season approaches, many households are faced with the decision of whether to stick with traditional incandescent lights or switch to modern LED lights. This choice is not just about aesthetics; it involves considerations of cost, energy efficiency, environmental impact, and safety.

If you're in a similar situation, this guide is for you. Here,  you’ll find out all you need to know about incandescent lights and LED lights. From what they are to how they work, their benefits, etc. Keep reading to find out more. 

Part 1: Key Takeaways 

Incandescent vs LED Christmas lights is a debate that’s fiercely contested year-in-year out. But here is what you should know;

Part 2: What are Incandescent Lights?

Traditional incandescent lights use filaments as a heating element to create light and are some of the oldest examples of light bulbs. While some types of lights have been phased out, incandescent lights can be found in many everyday objects. 

Christmas incandescent lights continue to appeal to a wide audience as their retro design is simplistic and popular. 

How Does Incandescent Lights Work?

An incandescent light bulb is made up of a steel connector and a glass casing that contains the contact and support wires. A thin tungsten filament wire is attached to the contact wires. When an electrical current passes through the filament, (at a high temperature) it illuminates light and glows brightly. An inert gas is used to stop the bulb from overheating and oxidizing. 

Advantages of Using Incandescent Lights for Decoration

• Available in bright and warm colors that give a very traditional appearance. 
• It’s very affordable.
• It’s easy to install.

Disadvantages of Using Incandescent Lights for Decoration

• Less Energy-Efficient
• Short Lifespan.
• Fragile in nature and design.
• Heat up to a very high temperature quickly, which increases fire risk.

Part 3: What Are LED Lights?

LED lights are a modern alternative to incandescent lights that utilize light-emitting nodes to produce light.  These types of lights use directional light to offer a more precise source of light, and they usually come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, allowing for creative and customizable holiday displays. 

How Do LED Lights Work?

Light-emitting diodes are used to produce light when a current hits the diode. It goes through semiconductors on a microchip circuit board and that ultimately produces the light. Since LEDs use directional light sources, they can be used in a wider range of applications, including permanent fixtures. It also means this is an eco-friendlier and efficient way to produce lighting as filaments aren’t needed. 

Advantages of Using LED Lights for Decoration

• Extensive designs available.
• Better efficiency saves you more money.
• Available in different designs.
• Long lifespan, up to 50,000 hours.
• Supports smart features.

Disadvantages of Using LED Lights for Decoration

• Some LED lights have very few light strands.
• It’s hard to replace broken bulbs.
• Lacks the traditional appearance of the normal incandescent lights. 

Part 3: Incandescent vs. LED Christmas Light

LED Vs incandescent Christmas lights is a fierce debate that has everyone scratching their head as both look like viable options. 

In this section, we’ve shared a comprehensive comparison of both types of Christmas lights based on different key elements to help you understand what they offer and make the best choice. 

Incandescent vs. LED Christmas Light: Energy Efficiency

LED Christmas lights are renowned for their energy efficiency. They use up to 90% less energy than traditional incandescent lights. This efficiency is primarily due to the way LEDs produce light, which involves light-emitting diodes rather than heating a filament as in incandescent bulbs. 

Moreover, the cost of running incandescent lights is 10 times higher than LEDs. For instance, if you run a Christmas tree with 500 lights for five hours at the average U.S. electricity rate of 16.43 cents per kilowatt-hour, LED lights would only cost you about $2.05, but incandescent lights would cost up to $24.6. Over time, this difference can lead to substantial savings, especially if you use large displays or leave their lights on for extended periods.

Winner: LED Christmas Lights

Incandescent vs. LED Christmas Light: Environmental Impact

There is no doubt that incandescent lights look good, but they’re not exactly eco-friendly. Incandescent lights are made of hazardous materials like lead and mercury, and they emit up to 4,500 lbs of carbon dioxide yearly, which contributes to environmental pollution that can disrupt the ecosystem and affect human health. 

However, LED lights, on the other hand, are more environmentally friendly. They emit less carbon dioxide (only 451 lbs yearly) compared to incandescent lights, contributing to a reduction in overall environmental impact.

Winner: LED Christmas Lights

Incandescent vs. LED Christmas Light: Lifespan

LED Christmas lights have a longer lifespan as you get around 50,000 hours of operational time. In contrast, incandescent musters around 1,200 hours - that’s not bad but compared to modern LEDs, it lacks behind. It’s likely you’ll need to replace the incandescent bulbs more often than the LEDs. 

Winner: LED Christmas Lights

Incandescent vs. LED Christmas Light: Brightness & Color Options

Incandescent lights offer a traditional feel when it comes to Christmas lights. They are usually available in different colors, and they have a characteristic warm and inviting brightness. However, their brightness can be limited by their energy inefficiency. 

LEDs, on the other hand, are brighter than incandescent lights. High-quality LED lights like eufy Permanent Outdoor Lights E22 can surpass the brightness of traditional incandescent lights. And they offer consistent vivid brightness while using less energy. LED lights also come in different designs and colors.

Winner: LED Christmas Lights

Incandescent vs. LED Christmas Light: Cost

Incandescent lights tend to be cheaper to buy than LEDs. The average cost of a strand of incandescent lights is between $4 to $10, while LED lights are usually priced between the range of $6 to $25 per strand.

However, it’s important to note that whilst traditional incandescent lights are more affordable than LEDs, they are not energy-efficient, which means you’re likely to spend more on incandescent lights over time. LEDs have lower long-term costs and can be well worth it, especially when it comes to keeping Christmas costs affordable. 

Winner: Incandescent lights (In terms of purchase cost)

Incandescent vs. LED Christmas Light: Smart Features

Smart LED light fixtures can be controlled via a mobile app, allowing you to customize your lights at the touch of a button. Of course, battery-operated LEDs and some plug-in varieties won’t have smart features built into them. It depends on the type of lights you have. Incandescent typically don’t have any smart features. 

Winner: LED Christmas Lights

Incandescent vs. LED Christmas Light: Safety

Incandescent lights usually get hot during operation due to their high energy usage. Hot bulbs can lead to potential fire hazard when they come in contact with flammable decoration materials or dry christmas trees. 

LEDs don’t pose a great risk as they don’t get as hot while they’re running. They tend to be the safer option, especially when it involves decorating Christmas trees. 

Winner: LED Christmas Lights

Part 4: LED vs Incandescent Christmas Lights: Which Do We Recommend?

Overall, LED lights offer more advantages compared to regular Christmas lights (incandescent lights). Even though incandescent lights are more affordable, their higher energy consumption, shorter life span, and safety risk are things you’d have to worry about. LEDs are more cost-effective!

Which Lights are Best for Christmas?  

In terms of the best lights for Christmas, LEDs come on top for us. LED Christmas lights has impressive longevity, consumes significantly less electricity, offer smart features, and are available in a variety of styles. You can even use them for any type of decoration (both indoors and out) - many modern LED Christmas lights have vibrant colors that really enhance the festive atmosphere during Christmas. 

Part 5: Best LED Christmas Light to Buy

If you’re looking to make your home decorations stand out in your community this Christmas, you need to invest in a high-quality Christmas light like the eufy Permanent Outdoor Lights E22.

This is a dual-LED permanent outdoor light that uses 90 lumens to illuminate outdoor areas with ease. It boasts a unique color temperature that’s adjustable from a warm 1500K to a crisp 9000K, offering 3x the brightness and millions of colors. 

Also, Eufy Permanent Outdoor Lights E22 is built with robust materials that enable it to deliver high-quality performance in any weather condition. And the best part? It has a powerful smart control app - eufy Life app - that allows you to customize every celebration with unique lighting patterns, colors, brightness levels, and lots more.  You can even use it with eufy cameras to scare off the intruders. 

Main Features

• AI-powered lightning with simple installation.
• Designed to withstand any type of temperature from -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit 
• Boasts excellent UV resistance, IP65 water and dust protection, and an IP67-rated adapter.
• Supports light colors like RGB+Warm White+Cool White 

Conclusion 

Regular vs LED Christmas lights – which makes the best choice? Without a doubt, LED always wins. However,  the ball is in your court to choose the type of Christmas light that is best for your style and budget.

If you need a 100% safe Christmas light that can last long while saving on electric bills, LED Christmas lights are the best choice. Though incandescent lights are more affordable to acquire.

FAQs

Is It Okay to Use Incandescent Lights on A Christmas Tree?

You can use incandescent lights on a Christmas tree but they do pose a fire hazard as they can overheat when used for prolonged periods. So, you may want to take extra precautions with them. For instance, limit how long the lights are used on a tree and never leave them on while you’re in bed. 

It may also be wise to avoid older models and limit yourself to one set to prevent overloading the power outlet. 

Can You Replace Bulbs in Incandescent LED Lights?

It can be incredibly easy to replace incandescent bulbs but it’s important to ensure the replacements have the same voltage. LED bulbs can be replaced but can be difficult on occasion. 

Can You Leave LED Lights on All Night?

LED Christmas lights are typically safe to operate throughout the night (as they don’t use filaments). So, yes, you can leave LED lights on all night. 

Why are People Replacing Incandescent Bulbs with LED Bulbs?

Incandescent bulbs are inexpensive but their run-time can be restricted to 1,000 hours or so. On the other hand, LED bulbs can last around 25,000 hours or more. So, it makes sense to switch to LEDs as they’re more affordable in the long term.