DECEMBER means many of us will be putting our Christmas decorations up, but that means more energy and more costs.
You might not know just how much they can cost to run and what it means for your bills.
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Even a small amount extra could be a concern for Brits this Christmas as households see their energy bills increase by massive amounts.
We’ve already looked at how much it costs to run an air fryer and a kettle.
Now, we reveal how much running Christmas lights will set you back.
Plus, we have some tips on how to get hold of some extra money this winter.
How much does it cost to run Christmas lights?
In 2020, the average family had their Christmas lights up from November 26 to January 6, according to Uswitch.
That’s 43 days of dazzling Christmas lights burning through energy.
While that might cause you to panic a bit, MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis said it isn’t all bad news.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain last week, the finance guru said he had “a little bit of good news” for households using LED lights.
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He said on the show: “As long as you’ve got the LEDs and not the incandescent lights – the incandescent lights are expensive.
“If you’ve got LED lights – a string of one hundred – which is a pretty decent amount. If you were to have them on for six hours every day over a month would cost 18 pence roughly.
“So they’re not very expensive to run.”
If you’re after some new lights, we reported that B&Q was selling some that cost just 50p a month to run.
However, this was in November so they may no longer be in stock but it’s definitely worth checking.
How can you reduce your energy bills at Christmas?
here are plenty of ways to get help with your energy bills this winter.
First, there’s the warm home discount scheme which is an automatic £150 discount off energy bills between October 2022 and March 2023 for millions of families on the lowest incomes.
Plus, the next tranche of the Household Support Fund is being rolled out across the UK.
What you’ll get through the fund will depend on where you live as councils decide how to issue their share of the fund.
The best thing to do is contact your local council to find out whether you might be entitled to help.
Next, there’s the cost of living payments which have already started being issued – and more were confirmed in the Autumn Statement.
Millions should be in the process of receiving the second instalment of the £650 cost of living payment.
Millions more will get help depending on their circumstances.
Millions should be in the process of receiving the second instalment of the £650 cost of living payment.
Millions more will get help depending on their circumstances.
In addition to that, energy companies often offer grants to customers who are struggling to pay their bills.
For a list of freebies and grants you can get, you can read our guide here.
