Despite being the leading event hiring company in Brisbane, our team spent hours researching and double-checking the information that we’ve put together into this quick comprehensive article.
Before buying any random pendant light bulbs and wondering about the electricity bill afterward, make sure to get your hands on the globes that are RIGHT for you! How bright a light bulb depends on the type of bulb, how much electricity they use, and whether or not they’re dimmable.
Here’s the guide that’s about to come:
#1- Are festoon lights bright?
#2 – Do festoon lights use a lot of electricity?
#3 – How long do the light bulbs last?
#4 – Can you dim festoon lights?
What to do next?
#1 – Are festoon lights bright?
Whether or not a festoon light is bright will depend on the light bulb.
Light bulbs come in both white and warm white colours. But to know how bright a light bulb is, we need to know that light brightness is measured in lumens and not in watts.
A light bulb that has 160lms (lumens), means the bulb puts out 160 lumens of light. The higher the number, the brighter the light. So 800 lumens would be pretty bright.
Watts, on the other hand, is the amount of power the light bulb uses. Older versions of light bulbs used to have higher watt numbers like 40 watts or 60 watts. Nowadays, thanks to LED bulbs, the watts are much lower because the bulbs work more efficiently.
But festoon lighting is similar to mood lighting or also ambient light which should set the atmosphere in your space.
That’s why our brightest bulb is (only) 2 watts, but 160 lumens! This is plenty of light to illuminate both your home and commercial space. Our bulbs are also dimmable because we want you to be able to control exactly how much light you get.
#2 – Do festoon lights use a lot of electricity?
LED festoon lights will only add $0.2 to less than $1 to your monthly electricity bill over the span of a month.
Decorating your backyard, garden, or even commercial space with festoon lights is growing in popularity which makes one wonder how much electricity these lights actually use and how much it actually costs.
Lights make for a great touch when decorating your space, but did you know that fluorescent string lights could cost up to 85% more to run than energy-efficient LED bulbs?
An incandescent 60-watt light bulb, for example, has an output of 800 lumens of light. Whereas an LED light, which is much more energy-efficient, can deliver a bright light using only 1 watt.
However, our low-voltage light bulbs only consume 0.6 watts per bulb. This means that for the same 60 watts output that you’d get from ONE incandescent light bulb, you would get a whole light chain with 100 low-voltage light bulbs (100m length!) from us.
This is the reason why incandescent light bulbs aren’t widely available these days. There is an almost unbelievable difference between the running cost of LED and incandescent light bulbs.
Check out our shop for more details on our electricity-efficient LED festoon string lights.
Average Electricity Consumption Of Lighting By State
| Sate | Average Electricity Usage Rates (per kWh) | Average Electricity Bill | Comparison to National Average |
| New South Wales | 22.74c / kWh | $1,292 / year | 24% Lower than the average |
| Victoria | 19.86c / kWh | $1,132 / year | 22% Lower than average |
| South-East Queensland | 20.19c / kWh | $1,334 / year | 25% Lower than average |
| South Australia | 31.59c / kWh | $1,884 / year | 6% Higher than average |
| Australia Capital Territory | 29c / kWh | $2,004 / year | 22% Higher than average |
Check out our shop for more details on our electricity-efficient LED festoon lights.
#3 – How long do festoon light globes last?
How long your light bulbs last will depend on whether you use LED, incandescent or carbon filament globes for your festoon lights.
The best way to approach this decision is to decide how efficient and how often you’re planning on using your string lights. LED globes have a low input and a high output rate, which means they’re energy-efficient, don’t need much electricity and produce a brighter light. This makes them perfect to use as outdoor festoon lights. Our LEDs have a lifespan of over 40,000 hours and are therefore highly recommended.
Incandescent light bulbs on the other hand are more for a short term application like an event or a birthday party. These lights will last you for only around 2,000 hours.
Carbon filament bulbs are without a doubt the most stunning looking globes. They emit a candle-light colour which will bring a romantic atmosphere into every space placed. These lights wil last a little more than 3,000 hours which is pretty decent considering its lifespan of one to two years.
#4 – Can you dim LED festoon lighting?
Yes, most festoon lights are dimmable! Whether or not a light bulb can be dimmed, will depend on the light bulb itself though. After making sure that the bulb of your choice is compatible with a dimmer, you can attach the dimmer cable to the transformer and the other end of the cable to the string lights. This makes them perfect as an alternative to wall lights outdoor.
You can purchase the dimmer and the remote control separately in our festoon lights shop. If you’re rather looking to set a magical setting, consider taking a look at our fairy lights, too.
What To Do Next?
Check out our shop for the latest prices on our festoon lighting range. Are you looking into solar festoon lights? Check out the 8 most important things before buying solar-powered lights!
Or are you looking for help to set up your next event? Contact us or call us on 07 3555 8908.
