Seasonal Lighting Tips

Lighting schemes should match the season, for reasons of cost, safety and optimal design.

Everyone is familiar with stringing Christmas lights. Around December, displays of multi-colored lights decorate houses both inside and out, as well as many office buildings. But Christmas is only one of the many occasions when people use lights for decoration. And, decoration is only one of the purposes for which lights are installed at different times of the year.

One thing to remember at Christmas time is that the extra illumination doesn’t just cost more, it can introduce hazards, particularly in older homes. Many homes are only wired to support about 1.8kW, newer ones may well handle up to 2.4kW. When you add Christmas lights you can exceed the total. If you continually trip a circuit breaker or burn out a fuse, do some arithmetic to ensure you are under a safe level. Add up all the wattages on a single circuit and stay at least 10% under the total the ciruit is rated for.

People who live in northern climates where the winters get bitter cold know that outdoor bulbs tend to go out quicker at this time of the year. The physics behind the phenomenon is complex, but the fact remains. That suggests you can save a little money on bulbs by turning them off when the temperature dips way down.

But security concerns or decorating desires may make that impractical. One option is to replace incandescents with LED bulbs. They’re more expensive up front, but they last practically forever. A LED bulb will usually burn for over 50,000 hours. At 4 hours/day that’s over 34 years! Since they consume between 1%-8% of the electricity of incandescents, the cost savings can pay for the difference over time. That makes them ideal for Christmas lights, which most people keep for years and years.

Security issues can play out in a different way, too. Longer summer daylight means shorter nights. Readjust the timer on your outdoor flood lights and you can save bulb life and electricity for 3-5 months out of the year, depending on where you live. That can add up to a substantial savings in electricity and bulb costs.

Longer daylight during late spring and summer also suggests other ways of saving money. Consider some solar-powered outdoor lights. They absorb energy during the day and store it for later use. Most use LED bulbs that consume little electricity, so they’ll stay lit for 8-10 hours per night. If you have thirty or forty around the house – on the lawn, at the corners of the garage and elsewhere – that can add up to quite a savings, too.

Both in winter and summer, indeed all year round, incandescents are more prone to breakage. They’re fragile. Consider replacing them in those high-traffic areas where kids play. Even a plastic bat can easily break a bulb, showering everyone with glass shards. The exposed filament, if the light is on, can explode like an old-fashioned flashbulb, introducing the risk of fire.

Take into account the season when you consider your lighting scheme. You’ll save money and increase your home safety.

 -The Fixie Chix