How Much Do Christmas Lights Cost to Run on PG&E? (Winter 2026 Rates)

Every 100 watts of holiday lights you run from 5 to 10 p.m. for a 40-night season costs about $7.83 on PG&E's default E-TOU-C plan this winter. A tree wrapped in 300 old incandescent mini lights comes to under $10 for the season. A roofline of 200 incandescent C9 bulbs is a different story: about 1,400 watts, or roughly $110 a season, and more than $180 extra if the lights stay on all night. The cheapest fix isn't always new bulbs. It's often a $16-$23 timer that turns them off at bedtime.

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Key facts

• Holiday lights land in the peak. On E-TOU-C, peak is 4-9 p.m. every day, weekends and holidays included (Schedule E-TOU-C). On EV2-A and E-ELEC, peak is also 4-9 p.m., with part-peak from 9 p.m. to midnight (Schedule EV2, Schedule E-ELEC).
• PG&E winter rates (bundled, effective June 1, 2026, winter = October 1 to May 31): E-TOU-C $0.39757 peak / $0.36757 off-peak, with a $0.08140 credit on usage within your baseline. EV2-A $0.41099 peak / $0.39428 part-peak. E-ELEC $0.32063 peak / $0.29854 part-peak. E-1 $0.32561 (Tier 1) / $0.40702 (Tier 2) (Schedule E-1).
• Wattage varies a lot by bulb type. A 100-light incandescent mini set is rated 40.8 W (Christmas Central technical info). A standard incandescent C9 bulb is 7 W each (Vickerman C9 7W spec). ENERGY STAR certified decorative light strings use no more than 0.2 W per bulb (ENERGY STAR).
• The formula: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × rate per kWh. Check the label on your own lights. It lists the watts or amps (amps × 120 = watts).

What holiday lights cost per 100 watts on PG&E

We assume lights on from 5 to 10 p.m. On every plan below, that's 4 hours of peak (5-9 p.m.) plus 1 hour after 9 p.m., which is off-peak on E-TOU-C and part-peak on EV2-A and E-ELEC. The "evening rate" is the weighted average of those five hours. For E-TOU-C: (4 × $0.39757 + 1 × $0.36757) ÷ 5 = $0.39157 per kWh.

100 watts for 5 hours is 0.5 kWh a night, or 20 kWh over a 40-night season (roughly Thanksgiving weekend through early January).

Which baseline row applies? The baseline credit (E-TOU-C) and Tier 1 price (E-1) cover only usage within your monthly baseline allowance. If the rest of your home already uses more than that in December, every extra kWh from your lights is billed at the higher row. Our baseline allowance guide explains how to check.

These are PG&E bundled rates. If MCE, EBCE, SJCE or another community choice aggregator supplies your generation, your rate will differ a little.

Three common displays, priced out

These are hypothetical setups to show the math. The wattages come from the manufacturer or ENERGY STAR figures cited above, not from measuring a specific home.

*0.8 W per bulb is the listed rating for the Wintergreen Lighting OptiCore LED C9 set (80 W per 100-bulb set). Other LED C9 sets vary, so check yours.

E-TOU-C columns assume usage above your baseline. The LED mini row uses ENERGY STAR's 0.2 W-per-bulb maximum, so a certified string will cost that much or less.

Inflatables, projectors and animated figures have their own blowers, motors and lamps. Use the watts on their label in the same formula. A device rated 150 W costs 1.5 × the per-100 W figures above.

Should you switch to LED?

For big incandescent bulbs (C7, C9), the savings are real. In the roofline example, LEDs cut 1,240 W. That's 248 kWh over the season, worth $109.64 - $12.53 = $97.11 a season on E-TOU-C. At the OptiCore set's listed $199.99 per 100 bulbs (Amazon, October 31, 2026), two sets cost about $400, so they'd pay back in a little over four seasons on electricity alone. Cheaper LED C9 sets pay back faster. ENERGY STAR also notes that certified strings last up to 10 times longer than incandescent strands.

For incandescent minis, the bill savings are small. Swapping 300 minis saves at least 62.4 W, or about $4.89 a season on E-TOU-C. That's not much. If your old minis work, replacing them is about convenience and heat, not money. When they burn out, buy ENERGY STAR LEDs.

The bigger lever: hours, not bulbs

Timing barely matters for holiday lights on E-TOU-C in winter: peak is only 3 cents per kWh more than off-peak. What matters is how many hours they're on. Lights left on all night are the most expensive mistake.

Here's what it costs to leave lights on an extra 9 hours a night (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) for 40 nights, instead of switching them off at 10 p.m.:

EV2-A overnight: 2 × $0.39428 + 7 × $0.22558 per kW for each night. E-ELEC overnight: 2 × $0.29854 + 7 × $0.28468.

On E-TOU-C, a $15.99 outdoor timer pays for itself in the first season for every display in this table except the LED minis, as long as it actually prevents all-night burning. Per 100 W, all-night burning adds $13.23 a season on E-TOU-C (0.9 kWh × $0.36757 × 40 nights).

How to keep the bill down

1. Read the labels. Add up the watts of everything on each outlet. Or plug the string into a plug-in meter for a few minutes and read the watts directly.
2. Put the display on a timer. Set it to come on around dusk and go off at a fixed time, such as 10 p.m. Avoid "dusk to dawn" mode unless you want the all-night cost above.
3. Start no earlier than you need to. Every hour before 9 p.m. is billed at peak on E-TOU-C, EV2-A and E-ELEC. Lights switched on at 4 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. add another peak hour.
4. Replace big incandescent bulbs first. C7 and C9 incandescents are where LED swaps pay. Minis can wait until they fail.
5. Follow the connection limits on the box. Light sets list how many strings can be connected end to end. Northlight's 100-light incandescent mini set, for example, says to connect up to 5 sets, not exceeding 210 W (product listing). Use outdoor-rated lights and cords outside.
6. Check your December bill against your hourly data. Holiday lights show up as a steady evening block in your PG&E hourly usage. Our PG&E usage analyzer shows how much of your usage falls in 4-9 p.m.

Daylight saving time ends Sunday, November 1, 2026. If you set up a smart plug or digital timer now, open its app or display after the change and confirm it still shows the right local times.

Gear that does the job

Prices and ratings are from Amazon on October 31, 2026, and change often.

Outdoor smart plug with sunset scheduling. The Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug EP40 ($22.99, 4.6 stars from about 17,500 ratings) has two independently controlled outlets rated 15 A/1,875 W, IP64 weather resistance, schedules and a sunset/sunrise offset. It needs 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.

Outdoor programmable timer, no Wi-Fi needed. The BN-LINK Outdoor 7-Day Programmable Timer ($15.99, 4.4 stars from about 41,400 ratings) has two grounded outlets controlled together, up to 8 on/off programs, a weather cover and a daylight saving button. Its listing rates it 15 A, 1,875 W resistive.

LED C9 bulbs to replace a roofline. The Wintergreen Lighting 100 C9 OptiCore LED set ($199.99, 4.7 stars from about 950 ratings) is a 100-foot commercial-grade stringer with 50 red and 50 warm white bulbs. The listing rates it 0.8 W per bulb, 80 W per set, and says up to 960 W of sets can be connected on one plug.

Measure what you already own. The P3 Kill A Watt P4400 ($29.99, 4.6 stars from about 9,750 ratings) shows the watts a plug-in device draws. The Kasa Smart Plug Mini KP115 ($15.99, 4.5 stars from about 17,800 ratings) measures energy and runs schedules, but it's an indoor plug, so use it only for indoor displays like a tree.

See the whole house. A whole-home monitor like the Emporia Vue 3 ($199.99, 4.6 stars from about 885 ratings) shows each circuit's evening load, including outdoor outlets. Compare options in our home energy monitor guide.

For which other loads are worth scheduling (and which aren't), see smart plugs on PG&E time-of-use. If you're running a space heater this winter too, that's usually a much bigger cost than the lights: see space heater cost on PG&E.

The bottom line

• Every 100 W of lights, 5 hours a night for 40 nights, costs about $6-$8 on PG&E's winter rates, depending on your plan and baseline.
• LED minis and LED C9s cost a few dollars to $13 a season. Incandescent C9 rooflines can top $100.
• If your lights would otherwise burn all night, a timer that turns them off at bedtime saves more than swapping bulbs in every example above.
• On E-TOU-C in winter, peak costs only 3 cents more than off-peak, so hours matter far more than timing.

Frequently asked questions

How much do Christmas lights cost to run on PG&E?

About $7.83 per 100 watts for a 40-night season, running 5 to 10 p.m., on E-TOU-C above baseline (winter 2026 bundled rates). Within baseline it's about $6.20; on EV2-A about $8.15; on E-ELEC about $6.32. Multiply by your lights' total watts divided by 100.

How much does a string of 100 mini lights cost per night?

A 100-light incandescent mini set is rated 40.8 W. Run 5 hours, that's 0.204 kWh, or about 8 cents a night on E-TOU-C. An ENERGY STAR LED mini string of 100 bulbs uses 20 W or less, so about 4 cents a night or less.

Are LED Christmas lights worth it on PG&E?

For large incandescent bulbs like C9s, yes: swapping 200 7-watt C9 bulbs for 0.8-watt LEDs saves about $97 a season on E-TOU-C in our example. For incandescent mini lights, the savings are only a few dollars a season, so replace them when they wear out.

Do Christmas lights run during PG&E peak hours?

Usually. Peak on E-TOU-C, EV2-A and E-ELEC is 4 to 9 p.m. every day, including weekends and holidays, which is exactly when most displays are on. On E-TOU-C in winter, peak is only 3 cents per kWh more than off-peak, so the number of hours matters more than the timing.

How much does leaving Christmas lights on all night cost?

Leaving lights on an extra 9 hours a night adds 0.9 kWh per 100 W, about 33 cents a night or $13.23 over 40 nights on E-TOU-C ($0.36757 off-peak). For a 1,400 W incandescent C9 roofline that's about $185; for a 160 W LED roofline, about $21.

Should I put Christmas lights on a timer or smart plug?

Yes. A timer or outdoor smart plug that turns lights off at a set bedtime prevents all-night burning, which is the biggest avoidable cost. Use an outdoor-rated timer or plug for outdoor displays and stay within its rated watts.

Find out where your money actually goes

Upload your PG&E bill to My Big Bill for a free audit. It reads your rate plan and usage and won't claim savings your bill doesn't support. For the other always-on loads that quietly add up all year, see phantom power cost on PG&E, and to compare plans, see PG&E time-of-use rates explained.

Sources: PG&E Schedules E-TOU-C, EV2, E-ELEC and E-1 (total bundled rates effective June 1, 2026, Advice 7921-E; E-ELEC sheet effective August 28, 2026), downloaded from pge.com October 31, 2026; ENERGY STAR Decorative Light Strings; Christmas Central (Northlight) technical light information and Northlight 100-count mini set listing; Vickerman C9 7W bulb specifications; product specs from the Amazon listings on October 31, 2026. All display costs are hypothetical examples using the stated wattages and hours.