Consumer Alert: Is it worth switching to LED holiday lights?

As homeowners begin decorating their homes for the holiday season, some are wondering if LED lights are worth the higher price.
Rufino Da Silva, of Home Depot, says that while LEDs cost more up-front, “in the long run, they do save you a lot more.”
According to the Department of Energy, LEDs use a lot less energy. It says lighting a 6-foot Christmas tree with traditional mini-lights will raise your electric bill by $10 a month. The cost with LED lights – 27 cents.
If you decorate your whole house with LED lights, you could save $50 to $100 a month – and LEDs last longer.
“Each led usually lasts about 25,000 hours, or 15 seasons,” says Da Silva. “So people don’t replace them nearly as often as they used to.”
LEDs also create less of a risk for fires due to the less heat they generate.
However, LEDs are more expensive to purchase initially. They usually have fewer bulbs per strand, which means if you do switch, it’ll take more than one season to cover your costs.