North Jersey homes glow for the holidays with cost-saving LEDs

Nothing says Christmas like a shimmering blue and purple peacock standing next to Santa in the front yard. At least the bird's flashing LED lights from those faux feathers send an energy-efficient, low-cost season's greeting.

LED lights are certainly not new. But for those who still think of them disapprovingly from their first couple of years on the market, it's time to look again.

When the lights were introduced, people complained about a blue hue and shimmer effect when the wind blew. These problems have been solved in the latest generations of LED holiday lights, says Rich Narins, owner of Power Wash Seal of Bergen County, a company that does holiday decorating for homes and businesses.

For those who never liked the little lights, there are now LEDs that look like the retro, C9 incandescent bulbs.

But there still are issues, Narins says. The industry does not have standardized lengths, so what would have been one strand of the old lights sometimes requires buying two of the LEDs. The cost upfront is definitely higher, but that should be more than offset down the road.

"The savings is in the seasons to come," Narins says.

There's no denying savings. Denise Brunner and her family go big every Christmas at their Webster Drive home in New Milford. Really big. She estimates they have 50,000 lights.

Brunner stopped doing the display for a decade after a car intentionally crashed through her yard and destroyed much of it. But about five years ago, the family started again. At that point, Brunner purchased only LED lights — and she spends $2,000 to $3,000 a year on commercial-grade lights from overseas. At 99 percent LED, Brunner says, her family barely notices a difference in their electric bill.

"Last year we thought it was maybe a $20 increase," says Brunner, who builds most of the computer-animated display, which is synchronized to music. The lights aren't on all the time. They "blink and dance" to music from 6 to 10 on weeknights and to 11 p.m. on weekends.

She adds new items each year — like a Santa and some reindeer on the roof and a couple of 20-foot trees in the yard this year. She's working on a "Mr. Winter" but doesn't know if she'll get him done for this year's display. For her, it's worth the effort.

"When we're lit up and you see the little kids in the cars, or get out of the cars and just sit there in awe … the smile and the brightness to their faces is just unbelievable," Brunner says.

The LED lights are different than the traditional high pressure sodium or mercury vapor lights that are largely in the fixtures in Brattleboro.

Humphreys said the LED lights are brighter, and more intense, and tend to light a more concentrated area than the traditional lights.

It would probably take three or four months to switch all of the fixtures over if Brattleboro decides to push the project forward.

Efficiency Vermont representative Chuck Clerici said if the decision is made to make the change Brattleboro would be one of the bigger towns in the state to switch over to LEDs.

Clerici said Fairlee and Hartford have switched most of their lights to LED fixtures, and Wilmington will making the change in the near future.