How to power Christmas lights safely
Check the lights before they go up, choose LED, add up what shares a socket, give the tree one strip straight from the wall, and switch everything off at night.
1strip for the tree, straight from the wall
3,680 Wthe most a Cords® strip carries
30 mARCD protection for lights outdoors
0lights left on overnight
Check them before they go up
After a year in the loft, Christmas lights can become unsafe. Before you plug them in, look along the whole set for broken bulbs, cracked holders and loose or bare wires. If something is damaged, replace the set rather than mend it.
Choose LED
Electrical Safety First recommends LED lights. They work at extra-low voltage, which greatly reduces the risk of electric shock, and they run cooler, last longer and use far less power.
Add up what shares a socket
December is when most of us plug in more than usual. A four-way strip has room for four plugs, but that does not make four of anything safe, as Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service puts it. Add up the watts of everything on one strip: the total must stay below its rating.
Cubical C1, Circular C2 and Squared S1 are rated 16 A, 3,680 W. In the UK, the advice is 13 A or 3,000 W. LED lights draw little; heaters and kettles draw a lot, and belong in a wall socket of their own.
One strip, straight from the wall
Give the tree its own strip, plugged into the wall: not into another strip, and not into an extension cable. Fire services call that daisy-chaining and warn against it. More in Can you plug an extension lead into another?
Circular C2 sits on the floor beside the tree with four sockets, its braided cable set to the length you need. If one set of lights needs to reach further, Extend E1 takes it, 2 m or 3 m.
Outdoors
Use only lights made for outdoor use, on a socket protected by a 30 mA RCD. Cords® strips and Extend E1 are made for indoor use.
Off at night
Switch the lights off and unplug them before you go to bed or go out. With everything on one strip, pulling the strip's plug from the wall turns the whole tree off at once.
Questions
How many Christmas lights can I plug into one strip?
As many as it has sockets, as long as the watts add up to less than its rating: 3,680 W for Cubical C1, Circular C2 and Squared S1. LED sets draw little; add a heater and it fills fast.
Can I connect extension leads for Christmas lights?
Not one into another. Fire services warn that daisy-chaining raises the risk of fire. Use one strip with enough sockets, plugged into the wall.
Should I leave Christmas lights on overnight?
No. Switch them off and unplug them before you go to bed or go out.
Are LED Christmas lights safer?
Electrical Safety First recommends them: they work at extra-low voltage, which greatly reduces the risk of electric shock, and they run cooler.
Can I use indoor lights outside?
No. Use lights made for outdoor use, on a socket protected by a 30 mA RCD. Cords® strips and Extend E1 are for indoor use.
How do I check old Christmas lights?
Look along the whole set for broken bulbs, cracked holders and loose or bare wires before you plug it in. Replace a damaged set.
Sources
Education Authority (Northern Ireland), Are your Christmas lights safe?, with Electrical Safety First's advice on LED lights; Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, Christmas safety tip 5; Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, Electrical safety; University of Aberdeen, Guidance note GN001. Product figures from the specifications of Cubical C1, Circular C2, Squared S1 and Extend E1.
