Money Moral Dilemma: Should I still put up my Christmas lights display given the energy crisis?

talktodaveuk

Hello, I would be someone struggling to pay the energy bill and cutting back on everything I can think of. Yesterday I was driving home and saw my first house with there lights covering the front garden, I wondered if they could afford it but in all honesty I felt my sprits uplifted and felt my son would love it when he sees them. So my long winded answer is if you can afford it then do it, maybe think about the hours they are turned on etc but I personally do t think you should feel guilty l.

Scubadolly

Is this something you enjoy doing?
Can you afford it? (see the link in this weeks email, I'm not allowed to share it right now)  
Does it bring you joy?
If you answer 'yes' to all of these, then go ahead and spread a little happiness

REJP

Exceptional circumstances regarding energy use this year should really make people think twice about the huge displays they would normally put up, and just take a moment to wonder how much energy is used for the whole UK.
I have two neighbours who have festooned their properties since 1st November.   The displays come on at dusk and are on until midnight every evening.
It seems strange that people put up huge displays but ignore warnings of power shortages.Some people I
know are really struggling to make ends meet, and would love to have displays, but simply cannot afford them this year.   

Others say they are low energy l.e.d lights and don't use a lot of electricity.  Well, lots of bulbs on at the same time do use energy.   Unless of course they run off solar powered batteries!

It is a matter of individual choice to put up displays or not.
Martin Lewis recommends that to save energy we should turn off the lights in one room if going into another room in order to help with the expected power crisis.   Huge light displays outside homes makes a nonsense of that advice.

Does anyone else remember the warning put out several years ago during power cuts due to bad weather?   It read "Waste Watts, Want Watts."   Is it really too hard just to cut down on huge displays this year?

Or at least limit them to Christmas Week?

powerful_Rogue

Another for the 'Can you afford to do it'?

I live on a close where we all do Christmas lights, get a huge turn out each year and raise a lot od money for charity. This discussion was had and everyone was in favour of going ahead due to the happiness it brings others, especially in the current climate.

CapeTown

Personally I find these displays rather obscene. Sorry to be the Grinch. Just give a donation to charity. Wasting energy is stupid at the moment and your fans will have to find another source of joy but not at your expense 

powerful_Rogue

CapeTown said:

Personally I find these displays rather obscene. Sorry to be the Grinch. Just give a donation to charity. Wasting energy is stupid at the moment and your fans will have to find another source of joy but not at your expense 

Each to their own. We rasise over £3000 each year during christmas for charity, so must be doing something right. Plus quite a few of us have solar PV.

JennyC89

What about having them up at limited set times and try get word out or put a sign up explaining. Donate the difference in cost to the charity for the electric on your part, if it ends up being cheaper than previous years (very unlikely though) and only if you can afford to. That way, maybe people will come at the same time in bigger groups, therefore getting your moneys worth and hopefully getting a similar amount of donations. 

Maybe even talk to some neighbours or people in the local area you are in, who also do big displays, to coordinate the times. I know a lot of people love to go for a drive to view lots at once as a cheap Christmas activity. 

You could possibly half the cost this way or even more if you limit it more. The people who will be struggling and might see it and feel bad that they can’t afford the basics might appreciate the acknowledgment of this, whilst also getting to still enjoy a cheap and cheerful, fun Christmas activity. 

It’s such a sad thing to have to consider when just trying to spread some Christmas joy and raise money for charity. If you can’t afford to do it though don’t stretch yourself. 

Other option is maybe setting up a go fund me to help cover the cost of the electricity, post it in your local Facebook groups. If there’s any extra put some aside for next year and donate some to the charity to make up any potential shortfall xx

[Deleted User]

REJP said:

It is a matter of individual choice to put up displays or not.

Correct.  It therefore doesn't matter whether someone else does or does not, can afford to or cannot afford to, or anything else.

Why then do you go on to apply a moral invective with "is it really to hard to cut down?".  It makes no difference if it is hard or not - if they choose to or choose not to, it is not our business.

CapeTown said:

Personally I find these displays rather obscene. Sorry to be the Grinch. Just give a donation to charity. Wasting energy is stupid at the moment and your fans will have to find another source of joy but not at your expense 

At which point did you become the moral arbiter of what constitutes "wasting energy"?  Pretty much anything could be designated a waste if it just happens to be something the observer disagrees with. Have a car instead of a bike?  "Wasting energy".  Have the lights on in two rooms when you could all sit in one? "Wasting energy".  Using the heating when you could all huddle around a fire built from scavenged wood and junk mail?  "Wasting energy".

JaneHenery

Yes, you should absolutely do it, but take your costs out of the donations and then donate the surplus. You are perfectly entitled to do this as you are still donating money; it's only fair you are recompensed for the cost of electricity. People need things like this, especially just now. Don't do yourself and them out of some much needed fun and wonder. If you end up donating less than normal just explain why. They're not going to judge you for contributing less, and if they do, change the charity you donate to to one which is more grateful. 

TurboTrace

LED's use less power. Also with everything so grim, we all need a little light in our lives - pardon the pun!