The last of the discount Halloween candy is being put away and stores and customers are getting ready for the holidays.
There are many holiday light options and it may get a little confusing. You have the large C9 and C7 bulbs, incandescent bulbs and now, LED lights.
While the LED lights are going to be a little more expensive than the incandescent light bulbs, they will save you money in the long run. LED lights have a three-to-five year warranty and money saved in energy costs will allow the bulbs to pay for themselves in just a couple of years.
LED lights end up using 80 percent less energy than regular bulbs. They also give consumers the ability to run multiple strands together without fear of blowing a fuse. And they are a better option for outdoor lights.
"Your traditional incandescent would be glass and your LEDs are plastic, so they are more shatter-resistant. Plus the bulb itself, if you look at the LED bulb, they are very small. What you see on the outside is a plastic cover over the bulb, which is protecting it and making it longer lasting," explained Home Depot store manager David Flynn.
But do they look as good?
"The first sets that came out was that bluish light, but now they are a lot nicer. That's the new LED. It's a soft, white light. It has very warm amber glow to it," Flynn noted.
Anthony Graci was at the store buying lights for his first apartment and said, "Even the littlest thing cost effective nowadays is going to help you out and the LEDs I think are more vibrant, last a little bit longer, a better choice on my part."
There are also LED lights that change color, giving consumers the options of going from white to color and back again. There is even solar-powered strands available.
"We went to LEDs. Now we managed to cut our energy bill to $40 to $50 for the month of December," Flynn said.
If you have old and broken lights, you can bring them to Home Depot be recycled and you will receive a discount of up to $5 for a new string of lights, and you can bring in up to five strands.
