Great question!
Battery-operated Christmas lights can last anywhere from 4-7 hours or well over 100 hours per battery set.
Battery lights should come with an expected battery life usage time. Be on the lookout for this specification.
A few tips to keep in mind about battery lights and their batteries:
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Battery life is highly affected by the brand and age of the batteries. Make sure to purchase batteries of all sizes at a store that has great turnover (not the dusty battery display at the Route 66 convenience store) and is a reputable brand.
Also make sure the batteries haven't been in your decor stash for a couple of years. - Lifespan of the batteries depends heavily on the current draw of the light strings which is a function of bulb type and wiring style.
From shortest life to longest life here are the battery light string families: - Incandescent light strings with 10-15 traditional warm bulbs are an economical choice for centerpieces and wlll last about 4-7 hours per set of C batteries.
- LED battery sets with traditional wiring and larger, bulb lenses. These sets look as good during the day as they do as night. A set of AA batteries will last an average of 18-24 hours.
- LED batteries that are of a style known as "micro drop" or firefly lights with wiring that is not insulated - fantastic little blobs of lights on "strings" - these light strings will usually last over 100 hours with fresh batteries.
Keep in mind that for LED battery lights that are multi-colored that different colors of LED bulbs use different amounts of current. Blue and green are special energy gluttons and when batteries first start to fade, these two colors are the first to go.
LED battery bulbs don't go out all at once, they tend to fade away. If you notice that the green and blue bulbs on your string are unevenly lit compared to other colors, replace the batteries and more than likely this will totally solve the problem.
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