Let’s Light Up 2024 without Burning a Hole in Your Wallet
When the energy price cap shot up last winter, many of us felt like a stand‑by charger on a power‑outlet. Thankfully, from October 2024 the cap dipped back to £1,717 until December’s end—good news for those of us who love a dazzling display of festive lights.
How Bright Are We Planning to Be?
Traditionally, people put up their Christmas trees and ornaments at the start of Advent—on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, that’s the 3rd December—and keep the sparkle on until Twelfth Night on Monday, 5th January. That’s a full 33 days of holiday cheer.
The average household keeps their lights glowing for about six hours each day. Most folks have more than one string, so picture two 100‑count fairy light strings each drawing 40 W for that six‑hour window. That adds up to 80 W, or 0.48 kW.
Crunching the Numbers
- Energy price cap (Oct 2024): 24.50 p per kWh
- Daily cost for those lights: ≈ 12 p
- Monthly cost (33 days): £3.58
Compare that to a decade ago, when the cap was 14.5 p per kWh. Back then, those same six hours would have cost just £0.07 per day—roughly £2.12 for the whole period. That’s a jump of almost 60 % in the price of keeping festive spirits alive.
Keep Those Lights Into the Night … or Not
More than six hours per day can really skyrocket the bill, so remember to switch off when you’re out or before bed. Also, don’t forget that other decorations can eat up electricity—think inflatables and other petrol‑hungry ornaments averaging around 140 W.
A Saxo spokesperson summed it up: “The drop back to £1,717 in October was a relief after soaring prices, but the steady rise over the last ten years means we’re paying almost sixty percent more. Inflation pushes up everything—from groceries to the lights you hang.
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