Christmas is fast approaching and a lot of people have already started doing their decorating at home. One of the highlights of any Christmas decor is the lighting. Plenty of folks splurge on lighting to make their homes stand out. Some even hire the services of a professional electrician to ensure that their lights don’t just look great but are also safe.
However, Christmas lighting has changed in recent years with more and more people jumping on board the LED lights bandwagon. If you’re giving it some serious thought, then you’ve come to the right place.
How do LED lights work?
Though it may seem more sophisticated than the old incandescent bulbs, they’re actually really simple. Instead of using filaments, LED lights use light-emitting diodes that make them more efficient and durable.
10 Things You Should Know About LED Lights
1. They cost more upfront but save you money in the long run.
LED light components are often assembled by hand, which is why they cost more than the regular incandescent bulb. However, it may be a bit expensive when you buy it upfront but the long-term savings more than make up for your initial cash out.
2. They don’t get hot.
LED lights produce almost no heat thus making them always cool to the touch. Using them as holiday decors will help put your mind at ease if you have small children and pets running around at home.
3. They don’t have a problem working at lower temperatures.
Not only are LED lights cool to the touch, but they also work well in cold weather. You won’t have any problems turning them on and getting them to work in lower temperatures. In fact, LEDs become more efficient as the temperature drops outdoors.
4. They last a long time.
As far as durability is concerned, LED lights have proven to last a lot longer than incandescent bulbs. Several tests have been performed to see how long LED bulbs last, and they all gave similar results of an average of 4,000 hours until they go out. You won’t get anywhere near that number with ordinary light bulbs
5. You get to have more lights on fewer outlets.
Since LED lights can be interconnected on one end, you won’t need too many power outlets to make them work. You can connect 8 to 10 times more LED light strings end-to-end on only one socket.
6. You can replace single bulbs.
Contrary to what some folks say, Christmas LED lights can be replaced one bulb at a time. Single bulb replacements are available if one or more bulbs don’t work on your set.
7. Avoid blue LED lights.
Just like the blue light on mobile phones and other hand-held devices, LED blue lights are also harmful to one’s eyesight so you should avoid staring directly at them or overexposing yourself to them.
8. Affordable doesn’t mean durable.
Not all LED lights are created equal. When it comes to retail LED lights, there are two distinct categories: retail grade and professional grade.
Here’s why you should go with pro-grade:
They use a one-piece lens and bulb design. This simply means they last longer. Retail lights come with separate bulbs and lens.
They use higher quality electrical components. Better quality gives you durability.
They give you better color consistency. Color consistency is a typical problem with all LED lights but with professional-grade lights, they barely seem noticeable to the naked eye.
They are shorter and easier to manage. Most professionals work with the shorter 25-to-33-foot-length lights because the longer ones are heavier and difficult to work with.
9. Put them up when it’s dark.
The best time to put up your Christmas LED lights is during nighttime when it’s darker. This way, you can clearly see how your tree and decors look like with the lights on.
10. You have a wide variety to choose from.
LED lights are quite popular with architects, builders, and designers because you have a wide range of colors to choose from. This makes mood lighting a lot easier to pull off. For your Christmas lights, you can choose to go the typical warm white/cool white pattern or you can play around with some colors. Either way, there’s a lot to choose from.
Are they worth the investment?
Given all of its benefits, we can safely say, and even recommend, the use of Christmas LED lights to brighten your holidays. Just make sure you pick professional-grade quality so that you have no regrets and only peace of mind with your decision.
We hope that you found this material useful. Have a safe and fun-filled holiday season!
