But how much electricity did it use?
It’s not just a classic Christmas comedy, it’s a crash course in holiday lighting safety.
First, we can guess what size electrical service the Griswold home has.
Warner Bros.
The meter is an old Landis & Gyr Duncan analog meter rated for 200 amps.
Second, by Clark’s accounting, there are 25,000 lights on the house.
Related:How Much Money Does Upgrading to LED Christmas Lights Save?
It’s not just a classic Christmas comedy, it’s a crash course in holiday lighting safety.
With all that information, we can trigger the numbers.
How Much Would 25,000 Twinkle Lights Use?
In the film, Clark proclaims the house is decked out with"25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights."
Warner Bros.
At 7W per bulb, that works out to 175,000 watts (175 kW).
At 1989 electricity prices, that means Clark’s display uses $12.25 per hour.
Run from, say, 6 PM to midnight every day, it would cost $73.50 per day.
Warner Bros.
If run for the month of December, it would cost $2,205.
Adjusted for inflation, that’s around $5,294.
How Much Could a Clark’s Electrical Service Support?
We know a strand of C9 bulbs has 25 7W bulbs, thus consuming 175W.
Related:Are Christmas Lights Really a Fire Hazard?
Missing that goal is probably for the best, becausethe entire Griswold setup was a giant fire hazard.
What Would Trigger an Auxillary Nuclear Generator?
The city of Chicago is, in fact, powered by a nuclear power plant.
And that power plant was fully online and operational in 1989.
The plant,Byron Nuclear Generating Station, can generate 2,347 MW of energy.
While some folks stop their calculations at the “25,000 twinkle lights” stage, we forge ahead.
And some people forge even farther than we have.
It’s an old trick we shared inour guide to measuring your home’s energy use.
