Every winter, many households will choose to decorate their gardens with an inflatable Santa and festive lights. I myself have just inflated my own giant Santa too, one my family has been playfully hoisting over the festive period for many years now.
With rising energy costs and growing concern over home electricity consumption, it's natural to wonder: do these cheerful decorations come with a hefty electricity bill?
This festive season, we look at how much your inflatable Santa will cost to run, from a small 4ft inflatable Santa all the way to a massive 12ft blow-up Father Christmas.
How much does an inflatable Santa cost to run per hour?
Here are typical estimates of electricity usage and what that means for running costs based on common inflation décor power draws and current energy rates from Utilita’s Power Price List.
Inflatable size | Typical power draw | Cost per hour | Cost per week (7 evenings × 6 hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
~ 40–60 W | ~ £0.01–£0.02 | ~ £0.42–£0.84 | |
~ 80–150 W | ~ £0.02–£0.04 | ~ £0.84–£1.68 | |
~ 150–250 W | ~ £0.04–£0.06 | ~ £1.26–£1.68 |
Even a larger 10–12 ft Santa, running 6 hours each evening for a full week, costs only around £1–£2 per week to run.
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Why inflatable Santa's are relatively low
While inflatable decorations draw a little electricity, they remain minor consumers compared with the heavy-duty appliances that dominate home energy use. According to a recent overview of household electricity usage:
- The biggest electricity drains are “wet” appliances, like washing machines, dishwashers, and tumble dryers, which use large amounts of power for heating water.
- Cold-appliance systems, fridges and freezers, run continuously to maintain temperature and make up a significant chunk of energy use.
- Everyday electronics (like TVs or consoles) and general household lighting are more significant energy users than a seasonal inflatable.
Because inflatable Santas typically draw only tens to low hundreds of watts, and only when in use, their relative impact on your overall electricity bill remains small.
What impacts real-world cost and how to stay efficient
The actual cost of running a garden inflatable depends on a few simple but important factors:
- Size and blower/light power: Bigger blowers and brighter lights increase wattage.
- Hours run per day: Limiting use to a few hours in the evening keeps costs low.
- Electricity tariff/unit cost: Because your cost scales with the kWh rate (i.e. the energy price cap used by your supplier).
- Number of powered decorations/appliances running at once: The more items drawing power simultaneously (inflatables, lights, TVs, chargers), the higher the total draw.
- Standby/power-draining “vampire devices” : Gadgets left plugged in or on standby can quietly draw extra electricity over time.
If you stick to a modest-sized inflatable (such as a 4 ft or 7–8 ft Santa), run it for limited hours, and avoid unnecessary standby draw, you can enjoy festive décor at minimal cost.
Inflatable Santas, from smaller 4ft versions to larger 10–12ft ones, generally use only ten to a few hundred watts.
Running one for a few hours each evening adds just a few pence per hour, and even less than £2 a week for most households under current rates.
Because bigger energy drains come from appliances like washing machines, fridges and standby electronics, an inflatable Santa remains a low-cost festive choice, provided you manage overall electricity usage sensibly.
