Fixit: Some illuminating advice on LED lights

Q What are LED lights and how do they work?

A LED stands for light-emitting diode. Instead of a filament in the incandescent light that heats up and produces light, LED lights have a little chip (not unlike what's found in your computer) that converts electricity to light. While the light created by filaments in incandescent lights is white and a colored glass bulb is placed over them to produce the different holiday colors, it's the components in the LED lights themselves that create the different colors. The plastic epoxy cover on the lights can be clear or colored.

Q What are their advantages and disadvantages?

A Advantages:

• Durability. They have a lifespan of up 100,000 hours used indoors, and up to 50,000 hours outdoors and many manufacturers guarantee them for 20 years, according the Minnesota Energy Agency. In addition, the plastic epoxy bulbs are less likely to break than the glass on traditional light strings. LED strings tend be thicker and sturdier, and some say are less likely to tangle.

• Energy savings. LED lights use 100 times less electricity than standard holiday light bulbs and 10 times less than the mini-lights. The Minnesota Energy Agency figures that if you have 500 bulbs lit for five hours a day for 30 days, you can expect to pay $24 if they are standard incandescent bulbs; $2.40 for mini-lights; but only 24 cents for LED lights.

• Environment-friendly. Using far less electricity means less greenhouse gas, such as carbon dioxide, is released into the atmosphere from power plants. In addition, many incandescent light strings, especially mini-lights, are marketed for one-season's use only. Long-lasting LEDs mean less waste.

• Safety. Traditional bulbs can become hot and may pose a fire hazard indoors, according to the US. Department of Energy. LEDs are barely warm and pose no fire hazard from heat generation

Disadvantages:

• Brightness and shimmer. Some say that LED lights aren't as bright as incandescent lights. Because they are focused light, they are brightest when viewed straight on and less so from the side. Newer lights use faceted light bulbs that spread light to the sides. This results in a shimmering effect that some like, others do not.

Q Can I convert my regular light string by replacing the bulbs with LED lights?

A It's not commonly done, and the bulbs can be hard to find. Ask your retailer. At least one company is offering screw-in LED bulbs for converting incandescent light strings, according to Energy Ideas Clearinghouse at Washington State University,

Q Do LED lights burn out?

A Not nearly as quickly as incandescent lights. It can take years. Most LED lights are rated at 200,000 hours (1 year equals about 8,766 hours). But if one bulb does burn out the rest will stay lit, according to All American Christmas website.

Q How many strings can I connect together?

A Up to 20 strings can be connected end-to-end without overloading a typical household's electrical circuit, according to the city of Seattle's citizen's guide to LED lighting. However, the standard UL tag on most LED sets recommends limiting string-to-string connections to three. But that's only because these lights are rated as mini-lights, according to HolidayLeds.com. Because they draw such low power and don't heat, most experts, including those at the Minnesota Energy Agency, believe it's safe to plug in more than three strings. Commercial plugs are available for connecting more than 100 strings.

Q Can I interchange my conventional light strings with LED light strings?

A No, you currently cannot connect incandescent and LED lights strings.

Q Why are prices so different from string to string?

A Look at the number of bulbs and the length of the string. In addition, costs may vary substantially by color because, rather than painted bulbs, the color is produced by the chemical makeup of the bulb, according to Energy Ideas Clearinghouse. Pink, purple, ice white and warm white likely will cost more.

Q Why are the bulbs so funny looking? They are all faceted and I like the smooth look.

A The faceted bulbs compensate for the LED's focused light, breaking it up and spreading it around. Generally, the LED bulb types for sale are the larger tear-drop shape bulbs commonly called strawberry, smaller round globes called raspberries and mini icicle lights. The very tiny lights, called rice lights, are smooth.

LEDs also come as rope lights or strings that change color. Look for even more applications next year.

Q. Where can I get a deal on LED lights?

A Shop around. You'll find LED lights at your local hardware and nursery stores. Member stores such as Costco and Sam's Club sell these lights. So do national chain stores, such as Lowe's, Home Depot, Menards, Fleet Farm and Target. Prices for LEDs generally are lower than last year.

Don't forget to check for rebates and discounts for LED holiday light strings offered by your local utility. (For example: www.mnpower.com/energystar. Type LED in the search window.)

Send your questions to Fixit in care of the Star Tribune, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488, or call 612-673-9033, or e-mail fixit@startribune.com. Past columns are available at www.startribune.com/fixit. Sorry, Fixit cannot supply individual replies.