One in five households won’t turn on Christmas lights to save on energy costs

29th November 2023

New research from Go.Compare Energy has revealed that the number of UK households who won’t be putting up Christmas lights to save on energy costs has increased in 2023.

This year, 18% of people told Go.Compare they wouldn’t be lighting up their homes this Christmas – an increase from December 2022, when 16% of bill payers told the comparison site they wouldn’t be decking the halls.

The data also revealed that a further 23% will be using fewer lights than in 2022 in a bid to save money on their energy bills.

Around a quarter (26%) of those who took part otherwise said that they aren’t concerned about their bills, and won’t be cutting back on how many lights they are decorating their homes with.

Gareth Kloet, Spokesperson for Go.Compare said “This is the third year that we have asked people about their plans for Christmas lights, and even though the cost of energy has gone down slightly from 2022, it’s clear to see that it’s still a concern for so many. With the price cap increase announced just last week, the cost of energy bills is still far too high and it’s understandably impacting people’s plans to light up their houses.”

“Christmas is a really expensive time of year, so it makes absolute sense that people are looking for ways to cut back.”

“There are, however, some things you can do to save on the cost of Christmas lights – for example, buying timed lights or flashing lights to reduce energy usage could be a better option.”