LED Holiday Lights

Relative merits of LED holiday lights by Katherine Tweed at Greentech.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/should-clark-griswold-switched-to-led-christmas-lights1

Comments:

Look for the warm white LED holiday lights sets - a bit less efficient, but they give a better feel.

Buy light sets for next year after the season is over. The post-holiday sales can beat year-to-year price drops by as much as three-to-one. But this is as valid for incandescent sets as for LED sets.

Probably should consider a life cycle analysis. A holiday light set (any type) recovered for reuse (craigslist?) might have better cradle-to-grave economics.

This brings up the “coffee cup life cycle analysis”
http://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=28765
You can search for and see endless debate and nuances. But one good conceptual summation, after materials, washing, kilns and so forth, is…

If you reuse a mug (or whatever) which was headed for waste stream, conservation is served. It is not clear cut. Older cars and air conditioners may be better off recycled. And market economics may not be well served by reuse.