Elaborate Christmas lights - Power Failures
 

When seeing some of the Elaborate Christmas lights people are putting on
their homes, and noticing more people doing this, I'm wondering what
precentage of the population would have to decirate to the extreme,
before they caused power failures?

I realize this is a vague question, because it depends on the electrical
distribution system, pole transformers, and the capacity of the
generators. It also depends on the actual amperage of the lights,
whereas the older C7 and C9 bulbs consumed a lot more power than the
newer LED lights.

But still, there has to be a limit!!!
Add to this, the fact that there are a lot more energy consuming devices
used in winter, than in warmer weather, such as heat tapes, electric
space heaters, furnace blowers, and more use of regular lighting due to
short daylight hours.

I also wonder if the power companies have a reserve, to assist times of
very high demand?

For example, I know of a house that has so many lights, their house
glows almost as bright as daylight (at night). Someone who knows the
owner, said he estimated there are around 250,000 bulbs. And a nearby
park is decorated every year. It takes over 200 volunteers to put them
all up, and they claim they have over 7 million bulbs. I've seen both
of them, and they are awesome, but I'm glad I dont have to pay their
electric bills.

This park has five sections, all fed by it's own transformer and massive
panels. It takes a guy on a golf cart 1/2 hour to drive around and shut
everything down at closing time every night. The reason it takes so
long, is because they have to flip many individual breakers, because
certain lights are left on for security, and they have live reindeers
who need lights left on and their water tank heater has to stay on.
Plus some of this is computer controlled so the lights "dance" to the
music, and that alone takes a lot of time to shut down.

Elaborate Christmas lights - Power Failures
 

On Mon, 15 Dec 2014 23:07:46 -0600, wrote:

When seeing some of the Elaborate Christmas lights people are putting on
their homes, and noticing more people doing this, I'm wondering what
precentage of the population would have to decirate to the extreme,
before they caused power failures?


But still, there has to be a limit!!!
Add to this, the fact that there are a lot more energy consuming devices
used in winter, than in warmer weather, such as heat tapes, electric
space heaters, furnace blowers, and more use of regular lighting due to
short daylight hours.

But you don't have the big AC running at the stores in winter and at
night, a lot of industry shots down so a good portion is offset. I've
heard of brownout, rolling blackouts,and a lot of energy emergencies
in summer, never in winter from high demand.



I also wonder if the power companies have a reserve, to assist times of
very high demand?

They sure seem to.


For example, I know of a house that has so many lights, their house
glows almost as bright as daylight (at night). Someone who knows the
owner, said he estimated there are around 250,000 bulbs. And a nearby
park is decorated every year. It takes over 200 volunteers to put them
all up, and they claim they have over 7 million bulbs. I've seen both
of them, and they are awesome, but I'm glad I dont have to pay their
electric bills.

IMO, that is just nuts and a waste.

Elaborate Christmas lights - Power Failures
 

In article ,
Ed Pawlowski wrote:


They sure seem to.


For example, I know of a house that has so many lights, their house
glows almost as bright as daylight (at night). Someone who knows the
owner, said he estimated there are around 250,000 bulbs. And a nearby
park is decorated every year. It takes over 200 volunteers to put them
all up, and they claim they have over 7 million bulbs. I've seen both
of them, and they are awesome, but I'm glad I dont have to pay their
electric bills.

IMO, that is just nuts and a waste.

We just did the big bulbs on our 30 foot Blue Spruce and smaller
lights on the bushes along the front of the house, a plastic Santa and a
slide projector (larger than most but still not to this level) and my
December bill was always larger than my August bill. Can't even begin to
think what these guys are paying.
--
"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive,
but what they conceal is vital."
-- Aaron Levenstein

Elaborate Christmas lights - Power Failures
 

On 12/15/2014 11:07 PM, wrote:
When seeing some of the Elaborate Christmas lights people are putting on
their homes, and noticing more people doing this, I'm wondering what
precentage of the population would have to decirate to the extreme,
before they caused power failures?


Back in the 1980s-90s, I used to do one of the local big mega
displays. I always used lower-wattage bulbs and limited the display's
on time to three hours/night, and run it only for the month of
December. Back in those days, it would cost me $60 extra on my utility
bill for the display.

My brother does a super-duper-mega display: all four walls of his
house and garage, plus their roofs, plus the gazebo and deck, plus the
entire yard full of figures (he has a corner lot), plus his next door
neighbor's side yard and garage. He runs it on the same terms: three
hours a night, December 1 - January 1. Last year he paid an extra $260
on his utility bill.

Compare that to what folks who live in the South or West pay every
month for running their air conditioning 24/7, and you'll realize that
a big light display isn't nearly the power draw that air conditioning
is. Especially factoring in that a/c is ubiquitous, whereas few people
run giant light displays.

Elaborate Christmas lights - Power Failures
 

On Tue, 16 Dec 2014 07:00:34 -0500, Kurt Ullman
wrote:

In article ,
Ed Pawlowski wrote:


They sure seem to.


For example, I know of a house that has so many lights, their house
glows almost as bright as daylight (at night). Someone who knows the
owner, said he estimated there are around 250,000 bulbs. And a nearby
park is decorated every year. It takes over 200 volunteers to put them
all up, and they claim they have over 7 million bulbs. I've seen both
of them, and they are awesome, but I'm glad I dont have to pay their
electric bills.

IMO, that is just nuts and a waste.

We just did the big bulbs on our 30 foot Blue Spruce and smaller
lights on the bushes along the front of the house, a plastic Santa and a
slide projector (larger than most but still not to this level) and my
December bill was always larger than my August bill. Can't even begin to
think what these guys are paying.


That park display is city sponsored and I was told they get a reduction
in their power bill, because they raise finds and food for the needy. I
once tried to find out sonme actual figures in both dollars and KWH
usage, but no one in the office seemed to know. They just told me that
they get this reduction. Several years ago, when they had around 5
million lights, they were all the old type lights. In the last 3 years
they advertise they have replaced 20% of the lights with LED every year.
I believe this year it's almost all LED now, but that dont include the
many flood lights, the 60ft tall tower made to look like a tree, with C9
bulbs, and other stuff. But at the same time they keep adding more
lights and displays. Some are very extensive, with a fully lighted
rotating carosel, towers that have figures go up and down, and lots
more. In one way, it's a waste, but it really is quite the thing to
see.

Im not sure where the money actually comes from, but it's a put on by
the city with lots of sponsors and bgusinesses backing it up.