Staff Writer
Vicki Grogan acknowledges that her family's ever-expanding Christmas light display pulls some power -- enough that they investigated having a second electrical box installed to handle the annual excess. But even with thousands of bulbs burning, she said the pocketbook isn't as pinched as might be expected.
Zach Boyden-Holmes/Staff
Zach Boyden-Holmes/Staff
Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
An extension cord hub in the middle of the Grogans' yard.
Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
An extension cord hub in the middle of the Grogans' yard.
Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
Christmas lights and decorations at the Grogans' home.
Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
Christmas lights and decorations at the Grogans' home.
Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
Christmas lights and decorations at the Grogans' home.
Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
Christmas lights and decorations at the Grogans' home.
Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
Christmas lights and decorations at the Grogans' home.
Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
Christmas lights and decorations at the Grogans' home.
Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
Vicki Grogan, with daughters Kali, 10, (left) and Tabitha, 9, says the home Christmas display doesn't pull much power.
Rainier Ehrhardt/Staff
Vicki Grogan, with daughters Kali, 10, (left) and Tabitha, 9, says the home Christmas display doesn't pull much power.
The Grogan yard on Old Trail Road in Arrowhead subdivision in Martinez is a menagerie, populated with 17 animated and well-lighted inhabitants. A Christmas tree, constructed from strings of multi-colored lights, looms over them. The house itself is bedecked in electric icicles, illuminated candy canes and Yule-appropriate spotlights. Even the mailbox gets a celebratory string.
"There are more lights, lights we can't use, still in boxes," Mrs. Grogan said with a laugh. "We tried to do some new stuff this year and kept popping the breaker."
Mrs. Grogan said that the family did not add the second box because the price -- approximately $400 -- was prohibitive. Surprisingly, she said, running the lights themselves is not. She said their power bill increases by about $100 in December, in part because they only run the lights when they are home and only until about midnight. They also tend to run the regular household lights less.
"The Christmas tree lights up the living room just fine," she said.
According to Georgia Power, there isn't an appreciable spike in power consumption during the holidays. A study conducted last year found that a string of 100 mini lights (the Grogan family's weapon of choice) costs about 2.2 cents an hour to illuminate. Mrs. Grogan estimated that they used 50-60, 150 and 300-light strands.
Mrs. Grogan said the cost in time and effort is more substantial than the fiscal hit. She said it takes about two days to get the lights up.
"I love it when people stop by the house, park in front, drive by with the windows down," she said. "That makes me happy. I look at this as a Christmas present for my children."
Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.
LIGHT ECONOMICS
The Augusta Chronicle recently tested strings of lights using a Kill A Watt electricity meter. Here's a look at energy consumption in kilowatt hours (KwH) of various holiday lights, and how much it would cost to run the lights at the Georgia Power suburban household rate of 9 cents per KwH:
200 MINI LIGHTS: .04 kilowatt hours in an hour, 0.36 cents per hour
50 LARGER C2-SIZE BULBS: .25 KwH in an hour, 2.25 cents per hour
25 LED LIGHTS: less than .01 KwH after four hours (didn't register)
CITY CHRISTMAS TREE AT AUGUSTA COMMON: (4,500 C2 bulbs, 22.5 KwH per hour, $2.03 per hour
COSTS TO LIGHT
- A home Christmas tree (500 mini lights): 22 cents an hour
- The outside of a suburban home (5,000 mini lights): $2.25 an hour
- The National Christmas Tree in Washington D.C. (750 strings of LED lights): $105 for the holiday season thenationaltree.org
- Downtown Augusta (35,000 C2 lights) - $15.75 an hour
FIND DIRECTIONS to the
Grogans' home and other holiday light displays at here. You'll find a map and a guide to homes decorated for the holidays, and you can post photos and suggestions for other well-lighted homes, too.
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