UK households are expected to use seven times more electricity than normal on Christmas Day, according to new research from EDF. The study reveals that festive celebrations will see homes consume an estimated 65 kWh of electricity in just 24 hours, compared to the usual daily average of 8–10 kWh.
To put that into perspective, that’s enough energy to watch Love Actually back-to-back 115 times.
Christmas Lights Lead the Festive Energy Surge
Christmas lights are once again the biggest contributor to festive electricity use. This year, 87% of UK households plan to decorate with lights, keeping them switched on for almost eight hours on Christmas Day alone.
The average home will illuminate around 243 LED lights, contributing to more than five billion Christmas lights glowing across the UK — a total bright enough to outshine the Blackpool Illuminations more than 5,000 times.
Around 31% of households will decorate the outside of their homes, with one in seven (14%) fully embracing extravagant light displays. Festive sightseeing is also popular, with 20% of people enjoying walks around their neighbourhood to admire local decorations.
Cardiff Tops the List for Outdoor Decorations
When it comes to outdoor Christmas lights, Cardiff takes the crown, with 71% of households decorating their exteriors. Blackpool follows closely at 57%, while Manchester (13%), York (10%), and Warrington (8%) report the lowest rates of outdoor displays.
Christmas Day Traditions Drive Electricity Use
Festive electricity consumption doesn’t stop at decorations. On Christmas Day, households will be busy powering classic traditions, including:
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Watching the King’s Speech and Christmas films (93%)
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Cooking Christmas dinner in the oven (91%)
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Switching household lights on and off (91%)
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Boiling the kettle for tea and coffee (90%)
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Charging phones and devices (88%)
Food remains at the heart of the celebrations, with 76% of households preparing a traditional Christmas dinner. Popular dishes include roast potatoes (75%), turkey (67%), pigs in blankets (57%), stuffing (54%), and carrots (51%).
The most controversial menu item? Yorkshire puddings, which split households evenly. Meanwhile, Brussels sprouts continue to fall out of favour, appearing on just 38% of Christmas dinner plates.
Gravy Divides the Nation
Gravy remains a festive essential, with the average household consuming nearly one litre on Christmas Day. However, one in 20 households skip it altogether.
Leicester, followed by Carlisle and Cambridge, leads the list of gravy-free homes. At the opposite end of the scale, families in Durham top the charts for gravy consumption, pouring over 1.5 litres on the day, with Coventry and Manchester close behind.
EDF Offers Eight Hours of Free Electricity on Christmas Day
To help households manage the festive energy surge, EDF is offering customers eight hours of free electricity on Christmas Day, available from 8am to 4pm.
The offer is automatically applied to customers who sign up for January’s Sunday Saver challenge before 11:59pm on 24 December, provided they have a working smart meter capable of half-hourly readings.
Rich Hughes, Director of Retail at EDF, said:
“Christmas is one of the most joyful days of the year, but also one of the busiest for household electricity use. We want our customers to enjoy the festivities for free, which is why we are offering eight hours of free electricity on Christmas Day.”
Since launching, EDF’s Sunday Saver initiative has already helped more than 220,000 customers, delivering over 13 million hours of free electricity and saving households more than £3.4 million on energy bills.
For more information or to sign up, visit the EDF website or use the EDF app. Customers already enrolled in December’s Sunday Saver challenge will automatically receive the free Christmas Day electricity.
