“There are two kinds of light – the glow that illumines, and the glare that obscures.” — James Thurber

LED Holiday LightsIn Deck the Halls, Danny DeVito decorates his house with Christmas lights in an excessive attempt to make it become visible from space. I probably will never see the movie, but the trailer had me thinking about two things:

1. It is a shame that the talented Matthew Broderick has been pigeonholed as a charater actor in family films (think Inspector Gadget and Godzilla) when he should be doing more independents like, You Can Count on Me.

2. Christmas lights are an environmental nightmare and cost a lot of money to illuminate during the holiday season.

For Number 1 there isn’t anything that can be done until Broderick finds a new agent, but for Number 2, there’s a great alternative. LED (light-emitting diode) holiday lights are eco-friendly and will save you money. Here’s why:

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, “LED string lights use much less electricity, reduce pollution from power plants and last longer. And they stay cooler, too. While they cost more than traditional strings of lights up front, the electricity savings easily make up the cost difference within a season or two.”

LEDs are up to 80% more energy-efficient than conventional incandescent lights and will help cut down on your electricity bill during the holiday season. How does LED technology work?

Pacific Gas & Electric provides this explanation, “LED technology produces light in a completely different way than incandescent lamps. While incandescent lamps emit light by heating a filament and produce waste heat in the process, LED lights are illuminated solely by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material.”

“Because they produce almost no heat, LED holiday lights present a greatly reduced risk of fire hazard over traditional incandescent strands and are safe to touch without worrying about burning your hands.” If you want to compare the cost, then click here for a chart that compares the energy usage and operating costs of LED holiday lights to incandescent holiday lamps.

It might be a little late to make the switch this year, but plan now for 2007. LED holiday light strings are available at: Costco, Lowe’s, Target or online at Amazon and Holiday Creations.