For years, holiday enthusiasts have turned to strings of traditional, clunky incandescent bulbs to decorate homes and trees during Christmas.
Today Sacramento stores report a major shift to light emitting diodes – LED lighting. Most customers, they say, have opted for the brighter, more energy-efficient alternatives.
"They fly off the hook," said Eric Ciraulo, a manager at the Ace Hardware store in midtown Sacramento.
One of the region's biggest displays of LED lighting is on the Christmas tree at the state Capitol.
Regular bulbs have a filament inside that emits light when heated, a process that can waste a significant amount of energy in the form of heat.
LED lights, which have been available for years but have only recently became popular, use what's called a semiconductor diode, which emits light when an electric current runs through it.
Strands of LED lights plug in like traditional lighting, but they stay cooler as they use most of their energy to create light.
Though the lights are generally more expensive than traditional incandescent varieties, potential cost savings over time have enticed more consumers.
"You can see the savings from them are just substantial," said Bob Aldrich, a spokesman for the California Energy Commission.
During a typical holiday season's use – estimated at 600 lights on for six hours a day for about a month – incandescent bulbs will cost almost $65, compared with just over a dollar for LEDs.
But the high-tech lights do have some faults.
LEDs do not have the same consistent luminescence as incandescent lights, sometimes creating a flickering effect. Though often barely noticeable, the quality has turned off some holiday enthusiasts.
For some customers, the energy-savings aren't the main motivation for buying LEDs.
"It's ... new so everybody wants the new thing," said Ciraulo. "Everybody wants what the next guy has."
Ciraulo said a California Highway Patrol officer recently came into the hardware store and bought seven strands of blinking LEDs for himself and some colleagues.
"He said, 'If we've got to pull people over, we can at least be festive about it.' " Ciraulo said.
The store has been selling LEDs for several years, but sales were weak initially, as the lights were priced at more than $20 a box. But as the price dropped – and word of the energy benefits spread – Ciraulo said he's seen sales increase. This year LEDs finally became the primary choice for customers.
Though LED lights are still more expensive – priced at Ace Hardware at $3 more than traditional lights for half as many – their life span is generally longer.
"You're looking at lights that are gonna last a generation at least," Aldrich said.
Call The Bee's Robert Faturechi, (916) 321-1098.
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