Holiday Light Electrical Safety & Energy Saving Tips

During the holiday season it is important to remind your customers to heed safety and energy conservation while enjoying holiday festivities. Electric lights and candles warm our hearts, but they can turn holiday cheer into tragedy if they are not handled carefully. Here are some valuable safety tips you can provide to your clients.

Electrical Safety Tips for Holiday Lighting

• Be sure all holiday lights have the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) label, which means they meet UL safety standards. Be sure to buy the right set, either for indoor use, outdoor use, or both.


• New, light-emitting diodes (LED) holiday lights use much less energy than traditional lights. Consequently, they do not become hot enough to burn fingers or catch trees on fire.


• Before installation, check for frayed wires, damaged sockets, or cracked insulation. If you find any defects, replace the entire light set.


• To minimize fire and shock danger, make sure there is a bulb in each socket. If a bulb is burned out, leave it in until you unplug the light set and replace the bulb.


• All outdoor cords, plugs and sockets must be weatherproof. Also, make sure there is a ground fault circuit interrupter on each circuit.


• Remember that hot bulbs can ignite dry tree branches. To avoid damage and injury, keep trees well watered and keep extension cords and light strings away from the water.


• Keep a working fire extinguisher handy.


• Be sure your home’s smoke detectors have new batteries and that they are working properly.


• Don’t overload your electric circuits or extension cords with too many light strings. Don’t connect more than three light strings. The cords could overheat and start a fire.


• Never leave lighted candles unattended. Responsible adults should monitor them at all times. Do not light candles on Christmas trees. Properly installed electric lights are much safer.


• Always unplug holiday lights before going to bed or leaving the house.

Some Holiday Lights Are Energy Hogs

If you’re a fan of those old-fashioned, two-inch (C-7) bulbs for decorating, keep in mind that they each use about five watts of electricity. According to the U.S Department of Energy, lighting six, 100-light strands of these large bulbs around the clock for 30 days costs more than $18, based on an average of eight cents per kilowatt hour.

A more energy-conscious choice would be the miniature white or colored lights. Miniatures use only about half a watt each.

Even less costly and more efficient are LED holiday lights, which use .04 watt per bulb. Over a 30-day period, lighting 500 LED bulbs would cost about 19 cents. Operate lights for no more than six hours a day to keep energy use under control. Timers make this simple. If you are building a new house, ask your builder or electrician to install holiday electric outlets which turn on and off with one easy switch.