Comparison of Incandescent Christmas Lights vs. LED Christmas Lights

With all the talk of LED Christmas lights, many consumers have begun to seriously consider switching from the traditional incandescent Christmas lights to LED lights. However, the higher cost of LED lights has become a hurdle consumers have trouble justifying.

Below is a simple table comparing the different features and specifications for these two types of lights:

Feature	Incandescent C7/C9 Light Bulbs	LED C7/C9 Light Bulbs	Incandescent String Lights	LED String Lights
Power Consumption (per bulb)	5 or 7 Watts	0.35 Watts	0.48 Watts	~0.1 Watt
Bulb Material	Glass	Injection-molded plastic with facets to reflect light	Glass	Injection-molded plastic with facets to reflect light
Average Rated Life (hours)	3,000	50,000 (15 times longer than incandescent)	2,500	100,000 (39 times more than incandescent)
Bulb Shape	Traditional oval	Traditional oval	Traditional minilight	C6 (Strawberry), G12 (Raspberry), M6 (Mini-ice), Polka-Dot, Snowflake, Star
UL listed/CSA-US approved	UL listed	CSA-US approved	UL listed	UL listed
Average cost (per bulb)	$0.20	$1.60 (7 times more than incandescent)	$0.08	$0.26 (2-1/2 times more than incandescent)