CHRISTMAS is fast approaching, which means you’ll be popping up your decorations soon.
But you’ll want to know the cheapest places to buy them – after all, winter energy costs are still sky high.
Energy costs are rocketing at the moment with winter blackouts predicted for the coldest months.
To save as much money as possible, we’ve rounded up the cheapest places we’ve found so far to buy Christmas lights – so you can keep the festive spirit alive for a cheaper price.
But as always, make sure you look out for deals elsewhere too – you never know where you might find something for less.
There’s a handy comparison site – Trolley.co.uk – which compares the prices of 130,000 products across 14 major supermarkets.
The Latest Deals app also lets you search items and compare prices at several supermarkets to see where it’s cheaper.
Don’t forget about delivery costs too.
Without further ado, lets get into it.
Asda
For a more classic look this year, you can buy a pack of 50 white string lights for just £3 at Asda.
You’ll be charged another £2.95 for delivery though, so it’s worth visiting your local store if you’re buying them on their own.
You can look up Asda store locator if you’re not sure where that is.
We recommend calling up first to avoid disappointment though, as stock may be subject to availability.
And you’ll need to plug these into the wall – they’re not battery powered.
You can also get a pack of 100 multi-coloured string lights for £6 down from £8, or 200 multi-coloured string lights for £8, down from £10.
Wilko
You can grab a pack of 100 white LED lights for £5 at Wilko – down from £7.50.
It also lists on the website that they costs less than 1p an hour to run.
Do note that standard delivery is £4.95 but they’re free to click and collect.
If you want them delivered by November 29, that’ll also cost you £7.95 more.
They’re 8.4m long and fit roughly a 4ft tall Christmas tree.
Homebase
For 25% off right now, you can grab 100 multi-coloured lights from Homebase for £7.50, down from £10.
To compare, B&M sell packs of 70 LED lights for £10 (which are on sale), so Homebase is a better bargain.
These ones are also battery operated – so they won’t leak into your energy bill – and you can set them to go off on a timer too.
This is ideal so that you don’t have to remember to switch them on and off.
These are 10.4m long.
Amazon
You can get a little pack of 20 white LED string lights from Amazon for £1.99 – just keep in mind these are smaller and you might be charged for delivery.
The same versions cost £3.49 if you want them in different colours – which you can browse online.
However, these are also battery powered, so ideal for keeping the cost down, and they could look lovely draped around the top of the tree.
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.
Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch, said last year the majority of households used LED lights, which is good news for bills.
That’s because they use 320% less electricity compared to halogen and incandescent bulbs.
But how much do they actually cost to run?
Sarah said: “A household with a string of 200 LED fairy lights would expect to increase their bills by just 27p if used for six hours a day for 22 days over the whole festive period – that’s just 0.2p per hour.”
How can you reduce your energy bills at Christmas?
If you’re looking for extra ways to cut back on your energy bills this winter, they are a number of options open to you.
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.
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 for their bills.
For a list of freebies and grants you can get, you can read our guide here.
