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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Ashland pursues carefully planned growth ... Woman could use clothes, pet supplies ... Mail Tribune 100, Dec. 15, 1915 ... Our View: Ashland pursues carefully planned growth ... Woman could use clothes, pet supplies ... Mail Tribune 100, Dec. 15, 1915 ... SINCE YOU ASKED Since You Asked: LED lights may lighten your wallet MailTribune.com Writer Posted Dec. 15, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Dec. 15, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> I’m wondering about the overall about cost of regular Christmas lights vs. LED lights. Is the extra expense for LEDs worth it in the long run because of power savings? — Kathy, Medford Well, Kathy, while there is a Santa Claus, he may not be able to put big savings under your LED-lit tree. While you'll be helping the environment by consuming less power, you won't likely be helping your pocketbook, unless you are very patient. According to www.wecheckenergy.com and our own recent sticker shock at the local Freddies, LED lights will cost you about double the price of regular holiday lights. In the example supplied, the author purchased six strands of LED lights for $162 and the same number of regular lights for $84. So, in hoping to prove his case, he started with a $78 deficit. The LED lights use about one-sixth the electricity of the regular bulbs, which sounds like a pretty big cost savings. He figured using six strands of regular lights five hours a day for 30 days would cost $8.21 while using six strands of LED lights would total $1.37. A relatively big savings in power, but not a big savings overall because of the initial price. In one year, you would still be running about a $71 deficit. LED lights will last far longer than regular bulbs, but in his example, it would still take more than a decade for that advantage to put you in the black. The longer life and reduced power use do ring up a couple of environmental pluses for LEDs. And they give off a crisper light, so maybe Santa will be more likely to find your house on a dreary December night. And that might just make the extra expense worth it. —Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. To see a collection of columns, go to mailtribune.com/youasked . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Dec. 15, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501