UK householders have been warned they face a £50 cost for having Halloween decorations this month. The US tradition of decorating your home for Halloween has grown in popularity across the UK with many people now using lights, projections and inflatables to make their homes look ‘spooky’.
But energy experts have warned that displays could be adding as much as £50 to household bills. Gordon Wallis from Your NRG warned that common Halloween decorations use more power than people might think.
String lights, inflatables and projectors may not seem costly on their own, but when plugged in every night for several hours, the electricity soon mounts. With electricity currently costing around 26 pence per kilowatt hour under the Ofgem price cap, households running several displays could see an unwelcome surprise on their October bill.
Gordon said: « A set of old-style incandescent string lights can cost up to £3 to run across October if you use them each evening. Swap them for LED versions and the cost drops to less than £1 for the entire month, while giving you the same festive glow. The difference is immediate and shows how much money people waste by sticking with outdated bulbs. »
Inflatable decorations are another favourite, but they come with hidden running costs. The fan that keeps a large inflatable ghost or pumpkin upright can use between 150 and 250 watts, which means around one kilowatt hour for every four to six hours of use. Gordon explained: « If you run a single inflatable for five hours each night in the run-up to Halloween, you are looking at an extra £7 or £8 on your bill. Multiply that by three or four inflatables, and suddenly you are spending £20 to £30 just to keep them blown up. »
Projectors and light shows add atmosphere by casting moving skeletons, witches or colourful patterns across homes. Smaller LED projectors are fairly efficient, often using 5 to 20 watts, but larger devices can draw closer to 50 watts or more. Gordon said: « An average projector costs around £3 to run if you use it each night in October. That does not sound like much, but once you add it to inflatables and strings of lights, the total can creep towards £50. »
Gordon suggested switching to LED lights wherever possible, as they use up to 90 per cent less energy than traditional bulbs. He also recommended using timer plugs so lights and inflatables automatically switch off at a set hour each evening. Gordon explained: « Setting a timer so your display turns off at 10pm means you still impress the trick-or-treaters, but you avoid wasting several hours of electricity each night. That small change could save you £10 or more over the month. »
Limiting hours is another effective approach. Focusing displays between 6pm and 9pm, when trick-or-treaters are most likely to be visiting, can halve energy use compared to leaving everything running all night. Battery-operated or solar-powered decorations are also worth considering, particularly for smaller items or window displays, as they remove the cost from the electricity bill altogether.
Finally, Gordon urged households to think about safety as well as savings. He said: « People get carried away with multiple plugs and extension leads at Halloween. Overloading sockets can be a fire risk. Always use outdoor-rated extension leads for garden displays and unplug everything before going to bed. »
Gordon added: « With a little planning and a few smart choices, households can enjoy glowing pumpkins and spooky scenes throughout October without overspending on electricity. »
