How much does it cost to run a Christmas lights? (2026 price cap)
At the GB-average Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, a Christmas lights rated at 50W costs 1.3p an hour to run and around £28.82 a year assuming 6 hours a day through December.
Per hour
1.3p
Per typical use
7.9p
Per day
7.9p
Per week
55p
Per year
£28.82
Typical rating and how we worked this out
This page uses a typical rating of 50W for a Christmas lights; published figures for this appliance range from 20W to 200W. Modern LED Christmas lights use a fraction of the power of older incandescent mini-light sets — a typical LED string set draws 20–50W compared with several hundred watts for an equivalent incandescent set — though running cost depends heavily on how many sets and hours you use. The running cost follows the same formula used across this site: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × unit rate. Typical use is modelled as 6 hours a day through December, which is how the per-day, per-week and per-year figures above were calculated — see the cost-to-run calculator to change the wattage, hours or region yourself.
Rate used: Ofgem price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026, GB average electricity — 26.32p/kWh (excl. VAT, removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027).
Cost by region
Same appliance, same use — ranked most to least expensive by region under the price cap:
| Region | Elec p/kWh | Cost per hour | Typical annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merseyside and Northern Wales | 27.86 | 1.4p | £30.51 |
| South Eastern England | 26.88 | 1.3p | £29.43 |
| Eastern England | 26.61 | 1.3p | £29.14 |
| London | 26.60 | 1.3p | £29.13 |
| South Western England | 26.58 | 1.3p | £29.11 |
| Southern Wales | 26.55 | 1.3p | £29.07 |
| North Western England | 26.49 | 1.3p | £29.01 |
| Southern England | 26.47 | 1.3p | £28.98 |
| Northern Scotland | 26.35 | 1.3p | £28.85 |
| Southern Scotland | 26.11 | 1.3p | £28.59 |
| West Midlands | 25.60 | 1.3p | £28.03 |
| Yorkshire | 25.60 | 1.3p | £28.03 |
| North Eastern England | 25.46 | 1.3p | £27.88 |
| East Midlands | 25.36 | 1.3p | £27.77 |
| Great Britain average | 26.32 | 1.3p | £28.82 |
East Midlands is cheapest at £27.77 a year; Merseyside and Northern Wales is most expensive at £30.51 a year — a gap of £2.74 for identical use.
How a Christmas lights compares with similar appliances
Ranked by typical annual cost in lighting, GB average:
- Christmas lights — £28.82 a year (this page)
- incandescent light bulb — £28.82 a year
- halogen light bulb — £20.17 a year
- LED strip lighting — £11.53 a year
- LED light bulb — £3.84 a year
Three practical ways to cut the cost
- Switch any remaining incandescent Christmas light sets to LED — one of the largest wattage reductions of any lighting swap
- Use a plug-in timer so lights are not left on into the early hours when nobody is looking at them
- Check individual set wattage on the packaging — coverage and brightness vary between sets sold as similar lengths
FAQs
- How much does it cost to run a Christmas lights for an hour?
- 1.3p at the GB-average rate (26.32p/kWh, 50W). One typical use — 6 hours a day through December — costs closer to 7.9p.
- How much does a Christmas lights cost to run per year?
- Around £28.82 a year at the GB-average rate, assuming 6 hours a day through December — about 55p a week.
- Which UK region is cheapest to run a Christmas lights in?
- East Midlands, at £27.77 a year, against £30.51 in Merseyside and Northern Wales — £2.74 apart for identical use, purely from the regional rate.
- Does the exact wattage of my Christmas lights change the cost much?
- Yes — ratings range 20W–200W, so the top of that range costs about 10.0x the bottom. This page uses 50W; check your own rating plate.
- Does the October 2026 price cap affect this figure?
- Yes — figures use the Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Electricity excludes VAT (removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027); gas includes 5%. See the price cap page for the full breakdown.
Sources
- Heatable — how much energy do household appliances use — wattage and usage figures for this appliance.
- Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (regional tables, read 12 September 2026).
Related
- Cost-to-run calculator and full A–Z — check any appliance or enter a custom wattage.
- Energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 — every region, every payment method.
- Back-billing calculator — if a bill for this or any appliance looks like it covers too many months.
- Free bill audit — if your overall energy costs look high regardless of any one appliance.
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