Get Festive with LEDs

Looking for an energy-efficient alternative to Christmas lights? Consider a string of light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, which produce light using the movement of electricity along the path of its semiconductor. As the electrons stream across the semiconductor, they create electromagnetic radiation, some of which takes the form of visible light.

In addition to lighting up Christmas trees, LEDs are used to illuminate traffic and brake lights, send information from remote controls and render digital clock digits.

Science aside, LED holiday lights look just as pretty as the more commonly used incandescent lights. More importantly, though, they are a wise choice for consumers looking to cut back on energy costs. LED lights

1. Use 80 percent less energy than incandescent mini-lights;
2. Last more than 50,000 hours;
3. Keep you safer because they're virtually indestructible and stay cool, so they’re safe to the touch and less of a fire hazard;
4. Are more safely strung end-to-end and don't overload a typical household’s electrical circuits; and
5. Are easy to replace: if a bulb does burn out, the other bulbs will stay lit, so you can easily replace only the bad one.

Bonus: To further maximize holiday lighting savings, use timers to limit light displays and lower energy costs and pollution.