Carol Stream to host lighting festival with LED string lights

Many homeowners have already caught onto the idea of using LED rope lights and string lights for their holiday decorations, and now public officials are looking to do the same to save energy. These fixtures, which consume less energy than standard incandescents, can help reduce utility costs over time.

This is why the village of Carol Stream in Illinois will incorporate LED rope lights and string lights into their holiday festivities this year. Since the community's humble beginnings when it used to light a small tree, officials have come a long way with hosting the village holiday lighting festival, according to the Daily Herald.

"It used to be a lobby tree," Chris Oakley, assistant to the village manager," told the news source. "And Santa was in the board room. It was pretty cheesy."

Today, residents gather in the town center to see a larger tree be lit and are treated to complimentary hot cocoa, coffee and s'mores. This year, village officials will be collecting old incandescent lights as a part of a recycling program for those who want to go green with LEDs.

LED rope lights and string lights are valuable alternatives to incandescent for a number of reasons. In addition to consuming less energy, they also have a longer lifespan and require less maintenance.