LED Christmas Lights: Energy Use, Lifespan and Recycling Old Strings

Yes. The U.S. Department of Energy says LED holiday strands use 70% less energy than incandescent strands. ENERGY STAR says certified LED strings use about 92% less and can last up to 10 times longer. Buy strings with a safety listing, and recycle old ones through a drop-off program, not the curbside bin.

This page covers the numbers, the safety labels and what to do with the tangle of old strings in the attic. It is part of the eco-friendly Christmas guide.

How much energy do LED Christmas lights save?

Two federal sources give slightly different figures, because they measure different things.

The DOE also gives a worked example. Lighting a 6-foot tree for 12 hours a day over 40 days used under 3 percent of the electricity cost with LEDs compared with incandescent lights. Your own figure depends on your power rate, how many strings you use and how long they stay on.

ENERGY STAR estimates that if every decorative light string sold in the US were certified, about 9.9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions a year would be avoided.

Why LEDs use less

An incandescent bulb makes light by heating a filament, and most of that energy leaves as heat. An LED is a solid-state semiconductor, so it wastes far less. That is also why ENERGY STAR notes that certified LED strings stay cool to the touch, which reduces fire risk.

How long do LED Christmas lights last?

ENERGY STAR says certified LED strings can last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent strands. They have no moving parts, filaments or glass, which makes them more durable and shock-resistant. Certified strings also come with a manufacturer warranty of at least three years.

The DOE explains one reason LED strands keep working. When an incandescent bulb burns out, a small shunt inside carries the current past it. When an LED fails, it typically short circuits, which does the same job. The DOE says LED strands are much less likely to burn out or break.

Longevity is where the waste saving comes from: a string that keeps working for more seasons needs replacing less often.

What safety labels should Christmas lights have?

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends lights tested by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as UL, Intertek (ETL) or CSA.

UL’s holographic labels tell you where a set can be used:

• Red UL label: meets safety requirements for indoor and outdoor use.
• Green UL label: meets requirements for indoor use only.

The CPSC also says to:

• inspect new and old sets for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires and loose connections, and throw out damaged sets,
• never use electric lights on a metallic tree,
• check that each extension cord is rated for its use,
• plug outdoor lights only into a GFCI-protected outlet or a portable GFCI,
• turn lights off when you go to bed or leave home.

The listings below come from a search for UL listed, warm white LED strings. Confirm the listing mark and indoor or outdoor rating in each description before you buy.

For outdoor displays without a cord or outlet, solar strings are another option.

How do you recycle old Christmas lights?

Do not put light strings in your curbside recycling cart. Recycling staff call them “tanglers” because they wrap around sorting and solid waste equipment, which forces shutdowns and creates hazards for workers.

Many towns run seasonal collections instead. Two examples from published reports:

• Barnstable County, Massachusetts: the county’s environmental protection department and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension ran a free program at transfer stations in all 15 Cape towns. A local vendor separated the plastic coating from the metal so the metal could be reused.
• Rapid City, South Dakota: the solid waste division places bins at libraries, hardware stores, city hall and colleges from November 1 to January 31. It sells the collected lights to metal recyclers, which recover the copper.

Availability varies by town and by year. To find an option near you:

1. Check your city or county solid waste website for “holiday lights” or “tanglers.”
2. Ask a local scrap metal recycler whether it takes insulated wire.
3. Ask hardware and home improvement stores whether they run a seasonal take-back. These programs come and go, so confirm before you drive over.

Before you recycle a working incandescent set, consider whether someone else can use it. Old sets are also a reminder to check the tree itself: our comparison of real vs artificial Christmas trees covers how long each lasts and where it ends up.

Lights and the rest of a lower-waste tree

LEDs pair well with decorations that do not need power at all. The guide to natural Christmas decorations covers dried oranges, pine cones and beeswax candles, including candle safety. For decorations that have already lasted decades, see vintage Christmas ornaments, from Shiny Brite to mercury glass.