Christmas decorations are a must to bring about the cheer of the yuletide spirit, especially when bright lights paint your home or office in bright hues of colour. But did you know that you could save a lot of money and significantly reduce power consumption costs when you use LED-powered decorations?

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were invented back in 1962, first being capable of only producing red lights that were commonly used as indicators or as back-lighting for a few devices like calendars. LEDs have come a long way since then, finding themselves in virtually all components and coming in various shades of colour.

The way LEDS work is that you have a semi-conductor material (typically aluminium-gallium-arsenide) that allows positive and negative electrons to generate light by running a charge through them. The science behind it is a bit long-winded, but the important part is that the way LEDs work brings up quite a few advantages for the discerning yuletide decorator:

Tougher Christmas decorations

One of the most important benefits of LED lights is that they are much more resistant to damage compared to their fluorescent or incandescent counterparts. This is because the components used in LED lights are simpler than fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, meaning they won't break apart when they bump against something. This makes LED lights perfect for outdoor Christmas decorations where wind and the random passerby could cause the decoration to wiggle around and bump into nearby surfaces. This inherent toughness also greatly reduces the chances that any shipped decorations would be damaged during the shipping process. 

Low-heat lighting

Another core reason to pick LED lights is due to the very low heat they produce while generating light. This is a very big deal when it comes to lights that come into contact with potentially flammable items like Christmas trees or cloth trinkets. Ordinary fluorescent or incandescent bulbs can produce enough heat to start a fire, given the right conditions. LED lights generate significantly less heat, meaning that it is much less likely to start a fire even in bone-dry conditions.

Lower power consumption

Another serious advantage of LED lights is that it eats up a lot less electricity than its fluorescent or incandescent counterparts. LEDs are designed in such a way that they emit more light per watt, meaning you don't need a lot of electricity for your LED-lit Christmas decorations. Another advantage here is that the electricity consumption of LEDs isn't seriously affected by size or shape. You could have a big LED or a small LED, the efficiency of the LED will still stay the same - unlike fluorescent or incandescent bulbs that consume an obscene amount of energy to cope with the increased lighting demands.

Ability to dim lights

LEDs have the unique ability to adjust just how much light they produce, unlike their fluorescent or incandescent counterparts that can only generate a steady stream of pre-determined light. This is an especially useful feature for Christmas decorations, as the light can dim and brighten in specific patterns. This in turn allows for beautiful displays of light that is certain to attract the attention (and amazement) of your holiday guests.

Lengthy overall lifetime

Reports have shown that LEDs will start to fail between 35,000 to 50,000 hours, which is about 1,458 to 20,083 days of continuous use. That's long enough, but here's the best part: LEDs fail slowly instead of abruptly. When fluorescent bulbs or incandescent bulbs fail, they just stop working altogether. When a LED fails, it only starts to dim a little. It will take much, much longer for the LEDs to fail to the point where they stop generating light altogether. Yet another reason why LEDs last longer is because of their inherent resistance to damage from on-off cycles. Incandescent and fluorescent bulbs burn out quicker when you flip them on and off all the time. LEDs don't share this vulnerability, making them ideal for flashier and more colourful lighting patterns.

Keep all these in mind the next time you're in the market for Christmas decorations and lights. Pick out LED lights and you may just find yourself saving more money while keeping your family and your home safe at the same time!


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