Newer holiday decorations could save you money and keep you safe

Holiday cheer can be costly but getting more modern decorations can help you save this season.

Buying LED lights can help you save money in the long run while also keeping you safe.

Florida Power and Light said LED lights are best to keep costs down.

The amount of power it takes to operate the older incandescent bulbs could power two 24-foot LED strings.

That’s enough to light a 6-foot tree.

“The old school lights, the incandescent bulbs, those are actually going to burn a lot more energy and create a lot more bi-product of heat than the brand-new LED bulbs,” said Bill Watkins, general manager with Best Home Services.

Watkins said before purchasing any lights, make sure you’re grabbing the right ones for whatever you are decorating because hanging up the wrong lights on your home could create a fire hazard.

“If you put indoor lights outside, they are not going to be weather rated and you are not going to be protected and again you are going to have issues with electrical fires,” Watkins said.

When you plug them all in, make sure they aren’t chained together and they’re in the right outlet.

“You actually reduce the capacity of those extension cords and overloading extension cords and plugging in too many strands of light into one receptacle can cause overloaded extension cords, overloaded receptacles which again is a fire hazard,” Watkins said.