how much electricity do Christmas lights useHow can I compute the electricity usage for my lights and decorations? This is a common query we encounter often. To assist you in not only determining your electrical requirements but also using this information to prevent overburdening your electrical cords and circuits, we are creating a multi-part blog series that will guide you through every aspect of managing your electrical needs for holiday lighting and displays.

Electricity is often perceived as a mysterious, unseen power that, while vital to our daily lives, can be quite daunting. Especially in the context of Christmas lighting and decoration, electricity plays a fundamental role. Though lights, ornaments, embellishments, and hardware draw all the attention, it’s the electricity that animates everything. Despite its significance, few people devote time to understanding this essential component of Christmas lighting and decorations. Consequently, many people set up displays that frequently trip circuit breakers, overheat electrical connections, and sometimes even cause fires. Thankfully, learning how to accurately compute electrical loads is simpler than many might assume.

Since the majority of Christmas lights are rated in watts, you first need to determine the total wattage your lights or displays are consuming. This can be done by multiplying the wattage per bulb or per set by the number of bulbs or light sets. For instance, if you have a 100-bulb section of C9 lights, with each bulb rated at 7 watts, you simply multiply the number of bulbs by the wattage per bulb:

100 bulbs X 7 watts = 700 watts

After obtaining the total wattage, you can figure out the amperage by dividing the total wattage by 115 volts:

700 watts / 115 volts = 6.09 amps

Based on these computations, the 100-foot section of C9 lights would draw 6.09 amps. By repeating these calculations for all your Christmas lights, you’ll be able to ascertain the number of sets or the length of light lines you can connect to specific power cords or outlets.

The aforementioned calculations apply to both light lines with individual bulbs, each having a specific wattage rating, or to light sets. If you’re applying these calculations to light sets, substitute the bulb count with the set count. For example, if you’re using 35 sets of LED lights and each set uses 3 watts, your calculations would be as follows:

35 light sets X 3 watts = 105 watts (use this to determine your total watts)

105 watts / 115 volts = 0.92 amps (use this to convert your total watts to amps)

Determining the electricity usage of decorations and displays can sometimes be intricate. Additionally, if you have lights lacking wattage labels, obtaining accurate calculations can be challenging. In such cases, you can easily measure the electrical draw using an amp meter. We will delve into the specifics of using an amp meter to measure electrical draw in Part 2 of our Christmas lighting electrical series.