Warning issued over two Christmas tree light settings that can 'hike your energy bills' in December

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

There is no better way to get in the festive spirit than putting up your Christmas decorations. But households are now been warned about an 'expensive' Christmas tree light setting which could be adding as much as a £100 to your December energy bill.

As lovely as they are, hanging festive lights across your home can unexpectedly contribute to higher costs in the winter. Stephen Hankinson, an energy efficiency expert at Electric Radiators Direct, has shared his advice on creating a festive atmosphere without breaking the bank, reports the Express.

His tips focus on maintaining the joy of the season while still being able to keep the extra expense manageable, with one specific and simple tip that can reduce the running cost of your Christmas lights by as much as 65 percent - and take you less than 10 seconds to do. READ MORE: 'Do not' warning issued to anyone drinking Baileys in their home this Christmas Stephen said: “Switching your Christmas lights to a different setting could reduce their energy usage by as much as two thirds.

The most budget-friendly option is the ‘twinkling-flashing’ setting, which costs around 16p to operate for six hours (which is a typical duration each day). "On the other hand, the priciest settings are “On” and “Sequential,” both costing about 46p for the same daily usage." Using an energy calculator based on wattage and daily usage, he added: "This means that, on the most expensive setting, a single strand of around 100 lights will cost you about £16.56 to run between December 1 and January 5." Based on these figures, the energy expert warned that very festive households who have multiple sets of lights both inside and outside the home, could be adding as much as a £100 to their energy