Rising energy costs don't deter Christmas displays

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Dec 28, 2006 by Andy Rosen

Christmas has come and gone, but it's hard to tell that based on the holiday lights and decorations still ablaze around the area.

Crowds continue to take in the atmosphere in neighborhoods such as 34th Street in Hampden, standing in awe of the shimmering Christmas trees, flashing lights, and inflatable holiday icons like Santa Claus, The Grinch, and Frosty the Snowman.

Elsewhere, lines of cars visit more formal displays such as the Symphony of Lights in Columbia.

All of this festive lighting comes at a cost. But those paying the bill don't seem to mind.

Electricity rates went up this year, but for some residents of the 700 block of 34th Street, the cost of powering their impressive displays is not even a consideration. The "Miracle on 34th Street" is all about the holiday spirit, they say.

Bob Hosier of 34th Street, an avid Christmas decorator since he was 13 and a pioneer of the neighborhood holiday display, said he's never publicly discussed the cost of the yearly project.

"None of this is about cost or expense," he said. "If I were worried about cost or expense, then I wouldn't do anything at all."

Hosier said he doesn't even consider the yearly preparation for the holiday - which begins in earnest in August and kicks into high gear after Halloween - to be "work." And he said he's noticed more neighborhoods in Baltimore getting into the holiday spirit in recent years.

Smaller holiday lighting displays, with only a few strings of bulbs, could cost a residential customer less than $10 per month.

For larger displays, though, power can become more costly. The Symphony of Lights, a holiday display which benefits Howard County General Hospital, racked up more than $11,000 in electric bills last year.

According to figures from Baltimore Gas & Electric, it costs about 8 cents to operate 300 standard "miniature twinkle" lights for six hours, and about 24 cents to run 75 larger outdoor bulbs for the same amount of time.

Susan Boyd, annual giving associate for the Howard Hospital Foundation, said those electricity costs were more than offset by donations and income from visitors to the Symphony of Lights, which netted about $107,000 last year. It costs $15 for a vehicle holding up to 11 passengers to visit the display.

The foundation coordinates fund raising and outreach for the hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine. Boyd said it was too early to predict how much the display will cost this year

In coming years, technology may help reduce the cost of decorating for the holidays. Starting in 2007, the federal government could begin encouraging the use of more efficient light- emitting diodes as holiday lights.

The Maryland Energy Administration is already promoting the use of LEDs instead of standard Christmas lights, said Jenefer Russum, program manager of energy efficiency. She said the lights use less power because they produce a greater proportion of light to heat than conventional bulbs.

LED Christmas lights tend to be more expensive to buy than conventional bulbs, but they may earn the federal government's "Energy Star" designation by the next holiday season.

The Canadian government is working on specifications for energy- efficient holiday lighting, which the U.S. will likely adopt as well, said Rachel Schmeltz, Energy Star product manager for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Energy Star-certified products may display a label that tells customers they're making an efficient choice. Schmeltz said the Canadian government took the lead in certifying Christmas lights because that country's energy demand peaks in the winter while U.S. demand peaks in the summer.

According to a 2003 study conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy, holiday lights used about 2.22 billion kilowatt hours of energy in 2002.

LED bulbs use 90 percent less power, according to the study, which estimates that if all U.S. holiday lights were LEDs, the country would save a total of 2 billion kilowatt hours each year.

For reference, BGE customers use an average of 1,000 kilowatt hours per month, according to figures from the utility company.

Schmeltz said a total shift is not likely, but it would make a significant impact if even a small percentage changed over.

Hosier, of 34th Street, said he doesn't use any LEDs in his display because they're too expensive, among other things. He said the light they produce is intense, but not as bright as conventional bulbs because the wattage is lower. In addition, Hosier said, the bulbs are hard-wired to the strands, so they can't be replaced.

"I'm not ready to convert," he said.

Boyd, of the Howard Hospital Foundation, said it would be tough for the Symphony of Lights to switch entirely to LEDs because there are so many existing holiday lights.

For those visiting 34th Street Tuesday, there didn't seem to be any concern over the price of power.

"It's definitely a Baltimore thing to do," said Judy Stone, who drove 45 minutes from Glenwood, in Howard County, to see the display with husband Dave and four children. "I like the fact that the families did it. It's not commercial."