Holidays
Light up the block. See what it really costs.
Electricity prices updated · How we calculate this
Your lights, your state
Your display, whole season
$3.27
- Power draw: 75 W
- Electricity: 18 kWh at 18.2¢ per kWh (US average)
- Per night: $0.08
Wattages are typical figures. The exact one is printed on the box or the tag near the plug. A timer that switches the lights off at bedtime is the cheapest saving there is.
How the calculation works
Cost = watts × hours ÷ 1,000 × price per kWh.Watts come from the bulb counts you enter, at typical figures per bulb: 0.07 W for an LED mini, 0.4 W for an incandescent mini and about 7 W for an incandescent C9. The price is your state's average residential electricity price for January–July 2026 from the US Energy Information Administration.
Worked example: ten strings of 100 old-style mini lights draw 400 W. Six hours a night is 2.4 kWh. At 18.2¢ per kWh that is $0.44 a night, or $17.46 over 40 nights.
Christmas lights cost in every state
A 1,000-bulb display of mini lights, 6 hours a night for 40 nights. Most expensive first.
| # | State | ¢/kWh | LED season | Old-style season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 46.3 | $7.78 | $44.43 |
| 2 | California | 33.3 | $5.59 | $31.92 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 30.1 | $5.06 | $28.93 |
| 4 | Maine | 30.0 | $5.04 | $28.79 |
| 5 | New York | 29.4 | $4.94 | $28.20 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | 29.2 | $4.91 | $28.05 |
| 7 | Connecticut | 28.0 | $4.70 | $26.85 |
| 8 | Alaska | 27.1 | $4.55 | $26.01 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 26.8 | $4.50 | $25.72 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | 24.7 | $4.14 | $23.67 |
| 11 | New Jersey | 24.0 | $4.03 | $23.02 |
| 12 | Vermont | 23.9 | $4.02 | $22.99 |
| 13 | Michigan | 21.5 | $3.62 | $20.67 |
| 14 | Maryland | 21.3 | $3.58 | $20.45 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | 21.0 | $3.53 | $20.20 |
| 16 | Illinois | 19.2 | $3.23 | $18.45 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 19.0 | $3.19 | $18.24 |
| 18 | Ohio | 18.7 | $3.14 | $17.95 |
| 19 | Delaware | 17.9 | $3.00 | $17.15 |
| 20 | Indiana | 17.0 | $2.86 | $16.36 |
| 21 | Virginia | 16.8 | $2.83 | $16.16 |
| 22 | Colorado | 16.7 | $2.81 | $16.05 |
| 23 | Alabama | 16.5 | $2.78 | $15.88 |
| 24 | Minnesota | 16.3 | $2.73 | $15.60 |
| 25 | Texas | 16.1 | $2.70 | $15.42 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 15.9 | $2.68 | $15.29 |
| 27 | West Virginia | 15.5 | $2.60 | $14.85 |
| 28 | Arizona | 15.4 | $2.59 | $14.82 |
| 29 | Georgia | 15.4 | $2.59 | $14.78 |
| 30 | Oregon | 15.4 | $2.59 | $14.78 |
| 31 | Florida | 15.3 | $2.57 | $14.69 |
| 32 | Kansas | 15.2 | $2.56 | $14.60 |
| 33 | Mississippi | 15.2 | $2.55 | $14.58 |
| 34 | New Mexico | 15.1 | $2.53 | $14.48 |
| 35 | North Carolina | 14.9 | $2.51 | $14.34 |
| 36 | South Dakota | 14.5 | $2.44 | $13.92 |
| 37 | Washington | 14.4 | $2.42 | $13.82 |
| 38 | Kentucky | 14.3 | $2.40 | $13.70 |
| 39 | Iowa | 14.2 | $2.39 | $13.63 |
| 40 | Missouri | 14.0 | $2.35 | $13.40 |
| 41 | Montana | 13.9 | $2.34 | $13.39 |
| 42 | Wyoming | 13.9 | $2.34 | $13.39 |
| 43 | Tennessee | 13.9 | $2.33 | $13.32 |
| 44 | Arkansas | 13.6 | $2.29 | $13.07 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | 13.6 | $2.28 | $13.04 |
| 46 | Nevada | 13.5 | $2.27 | $12.99 |
| 47 | Louisiana | 13.3 | $2.24 | $12.82 |
| 48 | Utah | 13.2 | $2.21 | $12.63 |
| 49 | Idaho | 13.0 | $2.18 | $12.44 |
| 50 | Nebraska | 12.9 | $2.17 | $12.38 |
| 51 | North Dakota | 12.4 | $2.08 | $11.87 |
Five ways to cut the cost
- Put the display on a timer so it goes off at bedtime, not at dawn. Twelve hours a night costs twice what six does.
- Replace the big incandescent C7 and C9 strings first. They use the most power by far.
- Keep old mini strings for indoors if you like the warm look; the saving from swapping them is smaller.
- Outdoors, use lights and extension cords rated for outdoor use and plug into a GFCI outlet.
- Want them free to run? A small plug-in solar kit or a power station charged by day can run an LED display at night.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Christmas lights cost to run?
Less than most people think, if they are LEDs. A 1,000-bulb display of LED mini lights draws about 70 watts. On 6 hours a night for 40 nights at the US average electricity price of 18.2¢ per kWh (January–July 2026, EIA), that is about $3.06 for the whole season. The same display in old-style incandescent mini lights costs about $17.46.
Which state pays the most to light up for the holidays?
Hawaii, at 46.3¢ per kWh: a 1,000-bulb old-style display costs about $44.43 a season there, against $11.87 in North Dakota, the cheapest state at 12.4¢ per kWh.
How do I work out what my own lights cost?
Add up the watts printed on each box or plug tag, multiply by the hours they are on, and divide by 1,000 to get kilowatt-hours (kWh). Multiply by your price per kWh from your bill. For example, 400 watts for 6 hours is 2.4 kWh a night; at 18 cents per kWh that is 43 cents a night.
Are LED Christmas lights worth it?
On running cost alone, they pay off quickly for big old-style bulbs: a 25-bulb string of incandescent C9s draws about 175 watts, against about 2.4 watts for LED C9s. LEDs also run cool to the touch and you can connect far more strings end to end on one outlet.
What does a giant display like the one in the movies cost?
A display of 25,000 old-style mini bulbs draws about 10,000 watts. At the US average price, 6 hours a night for 40 nights uses about 2,400 kWh and costs about $437. In LEDs it would be under $80.
Estimates only. Your actual costs depend on your utility's rate plan, how and when you charge or use power, and local prices. This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. See our disclaimer.
Sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Tables 5.6.A and 5.6.B — July 2026 YTD (year to date); latest month July 2026
- Entergy, Lighting the holidays: an energy cost comparison (bulb wattages)
- The Day (New London), What your Christmas lights will do to your electricity bill (LED C9 string wattage, citing US DOE)
Keep going
Photo: Devon MacKay on Unsplash (Unsplash License).