Here’s what it costs to power Clark Griswold’s 25,000 holiday lights in each state

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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

Looking to buy a new home this holiday season? Start searching on Estately.com.

Candace Ramirez