Here’s what it costs to power Clark Griswold’s 25,000 holiday lights in each state
December has arrived, and unless you’re one of those folks who believes Christmas arrives on Nov. 1 (we won’t judge), it’s officially time to start decking the halls. While we love going all out, the cost of powering all those twinkle lights can add up, so Estately set out to find out exactly how much you’ll spend. We based our calculations on a true Christmas classic, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. In the film, Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold strings 25,000 incandescent bulbs on his house. Using the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, we calculated the cost of both incandescent and LED C9 holiday lights, for good measure.
Here’s our formula:
25,000 bulbs * 0.08 watts/bulb = 2,000 watts.
2,000 watts * (1 kilowatt / 1,000 watt) = 2 kilowatts
2 kilowatts * 5 hours per day = 10 kwh per day
10kwh * 31 days = 310 kwh
310kwh * each state’s average price per kwh
Lighting up the house is most expensive in Hawaii and Alaska, whereas it’s least expensive in Louisiana and Washington state.
ALABAMA: LED- $32 / Incandescent- $3,328
ALASKA: LED- $65 / Incandescent- $5,656
ARIZONA: LED- $40 / Incandescent- $3,464
ARKANSAS: LED- $32 / Incandescent- $2,829
CALIFORNIA: LED- $56 / Incandescent- $4,942
COLORADO: LED- $40 / Incandescent- $3,467
CONNECTICUT: LED- $59 / Incandescent- $5,146
DELAWARE: LED- $41 / Incandescent- $3,551
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: LED- $38 / Incandescent- $3,326
FLORIDA: LED- $35 / Incandescent- $3,090
GEORGIA: LED- $37 / Incandescent- $3,236
HAWAII: LED- $86 / Incandescent- $7,552
IDAHO: LED- $32 / Incandescent- $2,791
ILLINOIS: LED- $38 / Incandescent- $3,309
INDIANA: LED- $37 / Incandescent- $3,198
IOWA: LED- $39 / Incandescent- $3,450
KANSAS: LED- $40 / Incandescent- $3,505
KENTUCKY: LED- $32 / Incandescent- $2,840
LOUISIANA: LED- $30 / Incandescent- $2,582
MAINE: LED- $50 / Incandescent- $4,416
MARYLAND: LED- $44 / Incandescent- $3,808
MASSACHUSETTS:LED- $60 / Incandescent- $5,281
MICHIGAN: LED- $49 / Incandescent- $4,278
MINNESOTA: LED- $43 / Incandescent- $3,765
MISSISSIPPI: LED- $32 / Incandescent- $2,764
MISSOURI: LED- $35 / Incandescent- $3,054
MONTANA: LED- $36 / Incandescent- $3,152
NEBRASKA: LED- $38 / Incandescent- $3,347
NEVADA: LED- $35 / Incandescent- $3,033
NEW HAMPSHIRE: LED- $57 / Incandescent- $4,977
NEW JERSEY: LED- $50 / Incandescent- $4,383
NEW MEXICO: LED- $40 / Incandescent- $3,499
NEW YORK: LED- $57 / Incandescent- $4,986
NORTH CAROLINA: LED- $35 / Incandescent- $3,103
NORTH DAKOTA: LED- $37 / Incandescent- $3,222
OHIO: LED- $37 / Incandescent- $3,228
OKLAHOMA: LED- $34 / Incandescent- $3,014
OREGON: LED- $34 / Incandescent- $2,959
PENNSYLVANIA: LED- $44 / Incandescent- $3,844
RHODE ISLAND: LED- $64 / Incandescent- $5,558
SOUTH CAROLINA: LED- $39 / Incandescent- $3,456
SOUTH DAKOTA: LED- $39 / Incandescent- $3,388
TENNESSEE: LED- $33 / Incandescent- $2,864
TEXAS: LED- $35 / Incandescent- $3,019
UTAH: LED- $35 / Incandescent- $3,060
VERMONT: LED- $54 / Incandescent- $4,755
VIRGINIA: LED- $36 / Incandescent- $3,179
WASHINGTON: LED- $30 / Incandescent- $2,615
WEST VIRGINIA: LED- $36 / Incandescent- $3,144
WISCONSIN: LED- $46 / Incandescent- $4,006
WYOMING: LED- $37 / Incandescent- $3,201
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