With electricity prices surging, households may be more hesitant to go all-out on Christmas decorations. While most lights are cost-effective, others could rack up hundreds of pounds on your energy bills.
For example, silhouettes of Christmas characters using rope lights could cost £510 if put up on December 1 and taken down on December 31. Thankfully, the experts at Creditfix have developed a tool which helps you work out how much each piece of festive decor costs.
From a Santa rope light archway to indoor mains-powered fairy lights, you can budget your whole Christmas setup, reports Wales Online. The tool also allows you to pick a start and end date, to see how much you could save if you hold off for a day or two.
Layla Johnson, regional manager at Creditfix said: "We all know this Christmas will be more difficult this year. Rising energy costs only add to the growing pressure that other seasonal spending such as bigger food shops and presents are likely to cause.
"Like all household outgoings, it pays off to be aware of how much you’re spending, rather than bury your head in the sand, which is something a lot of our customers often tell us once they’ve started to take control of their debt.
"This is why we decided to gather the data and create a calculator for people to use. The results are surprising – it’s reassuring to learn that a popular set of indoor fairy lights is the cheapest option. Even indulging in a fun freestanding decoration could cost less than £1 per day to run.
"If people don’t wait to cut back on the number of lights they put up this year, they could compromise on cost by waiting a week or two until they plug them in, and still enjoy the magic of Christmas on a budget."
To view the full list of 16 different lights, how much they cost and how much could be saved by waiting to turn them on, visit the Christmas Lights Index online.
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