LEDs: Christmas Lighting Revolutionized

This week, countless families have been putting the finishing touches to their Christmas trees. In the United States at least, many of them will still be using dusty old incandescent light bulbs to illuminate their creations. It might be time to switch over to modern LEDs if you haven't done so already. They use up to 75 percent less energy than their incandescent counterparts and last up to 25 times longer.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an LED light string is so tough that an American family could still be using the same set 40 years from now. Buying and operating incandescent C-9 lights for 10 holiday seasons would cost an estimated $122.19 compared to just $17.99 for a string of LED C-9 lights. Widespread LED use across the United States by 2027 could save $30 billion and 348 TWh of electricity, equivalent to 44 large power powerplants (1,000 megawatts each), according to the Department of Energy.