Charleston, W.Va., November 26, 2007 – Increased emphasis on energy saving lighting, like compact fluorescent lightbulbs, and a heightened awareness of the cost of electricity may have some consumers wondering just how much it costs to decorate their homes with seasonal lights during the holidays.
 
“The good news is the cost of operating decorative lighting is relatively low because Appalachian provides its customers with some of the least expensive electricity in the country,” said Jeri Matheney, Appalachian Power corporate communications manager.   “The even better news is that consumers have more types of decorative lighting to choose from.”
While the national average cost of electricity is 11.4 cents per kilowatt-hour (kwh), Appalachian Power customers in West Virginia and Virginia pay around 7 cents per kwh, while Tennessee customers pay close to 5 cents per kwh.
 
Incandescent mini-lights are the most common type of decorative lighting. At 7 cents per kwh, to operate one 100-bulb strand of 1-watt bulbs would consume 100 watts of electricity at a rate of about 7/10 a cent per hour. If the bulbs are on five hours a day for 30 days over the holidays, or 150 hours, it will cost about $1.05. If the bulbs are blinking, the cost would be half that.
 
Increasingly available to consumers are Light Emitting Diode (LED) decorative lights. They use a single bulb and emit light through the strands. They last 10 times longer and are safer because they produce much less heat than a traditional light set. LED light sets often have a higher up-front cost – four to five times the cost of a string of incandescent bulbs – but they use about 95 percent less electricity. Appalachian customers could operate a set of LED lights consuming only 5 watts for the entire 150-hour holiday season for about 5 cents or less.
 
Seasonal lighting costs really begin to add up if you use larger, screw-in type 7-watt incandescent bulbs. They cost about 4.9 cents per hour to operate. Using the 150-hour example, using these bulbs would cost $7.30 in electricity over the holidays.
 

Type of Light	Wattage	Cost per kwh	Hourly cost to operate	X 150 hours	Seasonal Cost
100 light Mini-incandescent	100 watts	7 cents	.7 cents	150 hours	$1.05
100 light, LED	5 watts	7 cents	.0035 cents	150 hours	$0.05
100 light incandescent	700  watts	7 cents	4.9 cents	150 hours	$7.30

 
Don’t let electrical fires dampen holiday spirit
Ornamental holiday lights and yard decorations bring a glimmer of brightness to the dark days of winter, but with that holiday cheer comes a risk if caution isn’t used around electricity. The Electrical Safety Foundation International estimates that holiday decorations and Christmas trees cause more than 2,000 fires and $41 million in property damage in the U.S. each year. 
Most of the damage could be prevented by using electricity more carefully. Appalachian Power recommends the following tips:

• Check each holiday light string before using it. If you find frayed cords or damaged plugs or light sockets, discard the string.
• Use the correct lights for the job. Don´t use outdoor lights indoors, because they usually burn hotter than indoor lights. Also, do not use indoor lights outdoors, because they may not be waterproof.
• Use only UL-approved (Underwriters Laboratory) lights and extension cords.
• Avoid overloading electrical circuits. Connect lights to power strips that have several outlets and a built-in circuit breaker.
• Remember to unplug indoor lights when you go to bed.

Appalachian Power provides electricity to 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 36,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.
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