Expert tips
Why you should prefer colorful fairy lights
Updated on December 3rd, 2024Reading time: 2 minutes
Fairy lights come in many colors and your choice affects energy efficiency. Green and red LED lamps are particularly economical to use.
Anyone who wants to illuminate a room no longer only has the choice between warm white and cool white. Meanwhile, the room can also be illuminated in red, blue, green or any other color. LED lamps and fairy lights make this possible. However, the colorful ribbons and lights are sometimes twice as expensive as their white counterparts. Does this also apply to power consumption?
Actually yes. The color and brightness influence energy consumption. The energy requirement is highest for white LEDs, especially when they are used at full brightness. The Central Association of German Electrical and Information Technology Trades (ZVEH) draws attention to this.
Background: “With RGB LEDs, the white light is generated from the three primary colors red, green and blue. Since all three LEDs are used, the power consumption for producing white light is higher,” explains VDE Testing and Certification Institute GmbH when asked from t-online.
“Lamps that are designed as RGBW have their own LED for the light color white – these are then available in different color temperatures as warm white (approx. 3,000 K) or cool white (approx. 5,000 K) light,” say the experts.
Interestingly, the human eye is particularly sensitive to green light waves, explains the ZVEH. This means that green LEDs could produce high luminous efficacy even with less electrical energy – experts then speak of lumens per watt.
“Red LEDs are often more efficient because they require less energy to produce a good amount of light,” explains the ZVEH. Therefore, red LEDs tend to be the most efficient – followed by green and blue LEDs.
Controllable RGB LEDs are often used in fairy lights or smart lights. RGB stands for red, green and blue, which are used to mix other colors. Important to know: According to the experts, your consumption depends on the color combination you choose.
Mixed colors with a high white component can use more electricity than pure colors. It's best to pay attention to the white content of the light source in order to minimize your energy consumption – this should be as low as possible.
