John Davis: Brighten your holidays with LED lights that save energy and money

Are you still stringing the same old incandescent decorative lights for the holidays?

For many Minnesotans, the house, porch, shrubs and trees are donned with holiday lights. Depending on one’s holiday lighting enthusiasm, a home can save between $10 to $250 each holiday season by switching to LED holiday lighting.

This is because, according to the Department of Energy, LED holiday lights save up to 90% of the energy used by traditional incandescent holiday lights. LEDs are also safer, sturdier, longer lasting, and easier to install.

Fill your stocking with energy savings: For every old holiday lighting string recycled and replaced with more efficient LED holiday lighting, 19 kilowatt-hours of electricity are saved over the course of the holiday season. This is the same amount of energy as a common CFL household light bulb would use if left on for 24 hours a day for 2 months straight!

ENERGY STAR is the way to go: When shopping for new holiday lights, look for the ENERGY STAR® label to ensure that the product meets strict federal energy efficiency guidelines. ENERGY STAR-qualified lighting, as well as appliances and electronics, use less energy than their older, inefficient counterparts. ENERGY STAR-qualified LED decorative lights are an economical choice because they use 75 percent less power than conventional lights and they can last up to 10 times longer.

Other advantages of LEDs include:

Safe. LEDs are cool to the touch, reducing the risk of fire.
Durable. LEDs do not have moving parts, filaments or glass, so they are much more resilient and shock-resistant than other light strings.
Wide range of choices. LEDs are available in a variety of colors, shapes and lengths.
Up-to-date features. LEDs offer the latest features and functions such as dimming and color shifting.

Learn more:

	Utilities offer LED holiday lighting rebates Many electric utilities in Minnesota offer rebates for LED lights in general, and for holiday lights specifically. Click here to see utility rebates in Minnesota. If your utility is not listed, contact them directly to see if they have a rebate.

Be sure to recycle your old holiday lights!

Recycle that old tangle of lights

Year round drop-off locations for holiday light recycling include:

Andover Recycling Center – 1685 Crosstown Boulevard, Andover, MN 763-767-5175
Becker County Courthouse (3rd floor by Zoning Dept.) – 915 Lake Avenue, Detroit Lakes, MN
Becker County Transfer Station – 24413 County Hwy 144, Detroit Lakes, MN
Carver County Environmental Center – 116 Peavey Circle, Chaska, MN 952-361-1835
Chisago County Household Hazardous Waste Facility – 39649 Grand Avenue, North Branch, MN 651-213-8921
City of Elk River – 13065 Orono Parkway, Elk River, MN 763-635-1073
Itasca County Transfer Station & Waste Management – 29959 County Road 62, Grand Rapids, MN 218-328-5801
PHASE Recycling – 104 Main Street, Sandstone, MN 320-425-2246
Ramsey Household Hazardous Waste Facility – 5 Empire Drive, St. Paul, MN 651-633-3279
Rice County Recycling Center & Landfill – 3800 E 145h St., Dundas, MN 55091 507-332-6833
St. Louis Park Rec Center – 3700 Monterey Drive, St. Louis Park, MN 952-924-2540
Scott County Household Hazardous Waste Facility – 588 Country Trail E (Hwy 282), Jordan, MN 952-496-8652
Steele County Waste Management Recycling Center – 1171 Brady Boulevard, Owatonna, MN 507-456-4894
Washington County Environmental Center – 4039 Cottage Grove Drive, Woodbury, MN 651-430-6655

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