Price drops raise popularity of LED holiday lights

Plummeting prices have resulted in a noticeable shift away from incandescent holiday bulbs and toward energy-efficient LED lights that can pay for themselves in reduced electricity costs in as little as two years or less. LED lights have been around for years, but until recently the technology was expensive and had limited appeal, The Kansas City Star reported. But dramatic price reductions have made LED Christmas lights cheap enough that retailers like Wal-Mart and Costco are devoting much more space for them. Wal-Mart is devoting half of its shelf space for Christmas lights to LEDs, with a string of 50 mini LED lights going for $5, down from $6.30 last year, the newspaper reported.