14% of households won’t be putting up Christmas lights AT ALL this year
And more than a quarter have said they will be putting up fewer lights this Christmas to save on their bills
As we head into the festive season, many people across the UK will be thinking about lighting up their trees and homes this December. Despite the National Grid reporting that demand for electricity rose by 7.3% in the first week of December in 2023*, new research from Go.Compare Energy has revealed that 14% of Brits won’t be putting up any Christmas lights this year, so they can save on energy costs.**
The survey, which asked over 2000 people about their plans for Christmas decorations this year, also found that a further 28% of bill payers will be putting up fewer lights this Christmas, hoping to save some money on their energy bills.
Across the regions, the research also revealed that those who are least likely to light up this Christmas live in the West Midlands, with one in five (20%) saying they won’t be putting up Xmas lights at all. A further 18% of people in Wales as well as Yorkshire and the Humber also said they won’t be getting the lights out this festive season. Although, around a third (32%) of those who took part said that they aren’t concerned about their bills and will be putting up the same amount of Christmas lights as last year.
Gareth Kloet, spokesperson for Go.Compare Energy commented on the research: “Although we’ve seen the cost of energy come down slightly this year, the cost of living is still high and with the Energy Price Cap rising again at the end of November, it’s understandable that people will be looking to save money on their energy usage where they can.
“However, if you don’t want to compromise on the amount of lights you are using this festive season, there are ways to light up the house and still make sure you’re not overspending on your energy bills – this includes using LED lights, which are more energy efficient than traditional bulbs and last longer. You can also set timers to control when your lights are on to avoid wasting energy or even use solar-powered lights.”
Go.Compare has developed an energy calculator which can help you see how much energy the appliances in your home are costing you to run - including Christmas lights - which can be found here: https://www.gocompare.com/gas-and-electricity/guide/energy-calculator/
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Rubie Barker
Notes to editors
Notes to editors
* https://www.nationalgrid.com/powering-christmas-12-festive-facts-national-grid
** These findings are from a study released by Sago between November 2nd-4th, 2024, among a random selection of 2,037 of GB adults aged 17+ who are online panellists of Sago’s Community.
About Go.Compare
Go.Compare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Go.Compare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.
Go.Compare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
Go.Compare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
More information can be found here www.gocompare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/