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Consider safer Christmas lights this year

By WEEK Reporter
December 3, 2012 Updated Dec 4, 2012 at 10:12 AM CDT

EAST PEORIA, Ill. -- If you're buying new Christmas lights this year, you may want to consider the LED variety.

Ameren Illinois community relations spokesperson Kenny Blum says LED lights are a safe and energy efficient alternative to traditional lights.

Blum says the lights stay cool to the touch, making them less of a fire hazard and that switching to LED could save you 75 percent on your holiday lighting this season.

"Well we're talking 75 percent less energy, so it's a considerable amount,” said Blum. “So if you consider that one light is seven watts of electricity, for the one light you can light 150 LED lights."

Blum also says LED lights last up to 22 years and do not fade over time like traditional bulbs.

And if you want to test the savings for yourself, you can check out a "watt solutions" kit from your local library.

The kit will tell you how much it would cost to run any household item for a week, month or year.

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