Families across Ireland will be looking to begin making their homes festive over the coming weeks as the Christmas season approaches.
Christmas lights draped across the from of your home or on the tree outside are a crucial factor for creating a festive atmosphere.
However, many will be worrying about the cost of lighting them throughout the darker evenings with energy prices on the rise amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
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Some families will be wondering if it’s a better idea to ditch the fairy lights altogether this year.
The good news is, it seems the popular twinkly adornments are not as expensive to run as you may think.
That’s according to Paula Boston, visual merchandiser at retailer Festive Lights, who says as long as you have the more modern LED lights - and don't leave them on all day.
She claimed that you could run them throughout the festive season for less than €1.10.
“With rising electricity prices, it’s only natural to wonder if fairy lights, as pretty as they are, are going to cost you a small fortune. The answer, thankfully, is a resounding no,” she said.
"Modern Christmas lights use LEDs rather than filament bulbs which are less energy efficient.
“Plus, as they are designed to be decorative rather than offer practical lighting, they do tend to use relatively little electricity."
Running costs will of course vary depending on which particular lights you have, how many you use and your energy tariff.
But as an example, staff at Festive Lights calculated that using their ConnectGo 5m Outdoor LED String Lights for six hours per night would cost just 90c per month.
They have also built a Christmas lights cost calculator so consumers can work out what they might end up spending.
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