|
C7 or C9 Lamp Wattage |
Lamps per 15 Amp Circuit
1800 Total Watts |
Lamps per 20 Amp Circuit
2400 Total Watts |
Energy Savings Compared to a 10
Watt Bulb |
|
.6
Watts - LED C7 |
2400
Lamps |
3200
Lamps |
94% Savings |
|
1
Watt - LED C9 |
1440
Lamps |
1920
Lamps |
90% Savings |
|
2.5
Watts - Low Energy C7 |
576
Lamps |
768
Lamps |
75% Savings |
|
3.7
Watts - Low Energy C9 |
389
Lamps |
519
Lamps |
63% Savings |
|
5
Watts - Traditional C7 |
288
Lamps |
384
Lamps |
50% Savings |
|
7
Watts - Traditional C9 |
205
Lamps |
274
Lamps |
30% Savings |
|
10 Watts - Traditional C9. |
144 Lamps |
192 Lamps |
0% Savings |
When decorating with Christmas Lights it
is very important to know how many
lights can be run on a single circuit.
On commercial installations it is
helpful to plan or add more circuits
than is needed. To maximize your power
and minimize you costs, we suggest that
you use
LED Lights or
High Efficiency/Low Energy Lamps so you
can run twice to nine times the number of lamps or
bulbs on a single circuit. You can use
the following formula to calculate total
watts that can be used.
Volts X Amps = Total Watts X .8 =
Useable Watts
Useable
Watts / Single Lamp Wattage = Total
Number of Lamps
Example: 120
Volts (the standard number used for 110
outlets) and 15 amp circuit equals a
total wattage of 1800. Since Christmas
lights draw a continuous load, you
should only use 80% of the total
amount. As a result, the useable watts
would be 1440. Divide the total useable
watts by the watts on a single bulb to
determine the number of bulbs you can
run on one circuit. Often the
total number of usable bulbs is rounded
off. This can be done since only 80% of
the total wattage is being calculated.
So, 288 lamps often will be listed as
300, and 389 as 400.
Energy Savings
You can save
on your energy bill with LED or Low
Energy Lights. To calculate your
savings, you need to compare the LED or
Low Energy watts to the incandescent
watts. You can use the following
formula to calculate savings:
Lower
Watt Bulb / Higher Watt Bulb. Change to
% and Subtract from 100% = Energy
Savings
For
example, if you use LED C9 Lamps, 1 watt
each, instead of C9 Traditional Lamps, 7
watts each, you would divide 1 by 7 to
get .14. Change to 14%.
Subtract 14% from 100% to get 86%.
You will have a 86% total energy savings. See chart above for wattage amounts.
Remember that even though LED lights are
lower wattage, they are just as bright
as traditional lights
Household Circuits and Finding Outlets on a Single Circuit
Most
household circuits are 15 amps or 20
amps. To check the amps of a circuit,
look in the circuit breaker box. A
number will be printed on the end of
each switch which indicates the number
of amps on that circuit. One circuit can
supply electricity for several outlets.
It is necessary to know how many outlets
are being supplied by one circuit and
which outlets are supplied by which
circuit. Turn off any circuit in the
breaker box and then check outlets to
see which ones don't work while the
circuit is off. The circuits that
don't work while the circuit is off are
on that circuit.
Too Many Christmas Lights on One Circuit
If too many
light stringers
are connected together or if a 1000'
stringer reel is left to long (1000 foot
stringers are designed to be cut to the
exact lengths needed, never exceeding 100
feet), it may cause the fuse
to blow, the circuit breaker to pop, or the
wires to overheat and lead to a fire hazard.
Sometimes, if too many lights are on a
single circuit, the light will work
initially and then as the circuit heats
up, the circuit breaker pops or a fuse
blows. Never use more than the 80%
recommended watts on circuit.
Copper Wiring verses Aluminum Wiring
It should be
noted that these figures apply for
copper wiring only. If the place you are
decorating was built prior to the 1970s,
it may have aluminum wiring, and cannot
support the number of bulbs listed
above.
The Number of Christmas Light Strings
that Can Be Connected Together
The wire
gauge used in the Christmas light line
also helps determines how many bulbs (or
strings) can be connected on one
circuit. Ideally, you will want to use
a
commercial grade light string made
from 18 gauge wire. Our
professional decorators l
decorators recommend cutting light
strands to 100 feet, connecting no more
than 3 strands together (of any length),
with a maximum of 200 feet connected at
any one time. When using
C7 or C9
25-Lamp Strings, do not connect more
than three strings in a series. You can
connect two of our C7 or C9
100-Lamp Strings together IF you use
a
3 Outlet Power Adaptor plug in
between the two light strings. You
should never connect 100-Lamp Strings
together without the 3 Outlet Power
Adaptor plug or you could blow a fuse.
