Since the clocks went back, the sun already sets around half past five, and it only gets earlier. On the shortest day, Monday 21 December, the centre of the Netherlands gets just 7 hours and 42 minutes of daylight: the sun rises at 08:46 and sets again at 16:29. So in December, the lights in most homes are on for about eight hours a day. In this guide you'll read how to make your home bright, cosy and energy-efficient over the coming months: with the right light colour, dimming, mood lighting, night lights and safe Christmas lights. Plus a worked example of what you save this winter.
Looking for tips for your front door, driveway or garden? You'll find them in Winter time and LED outdoor lighting. This one is all about indoors.
In short
- Layers of light: combine general light, task light and mood light, and switch them separately. In the evening it's mainly the mood layer that's on.
- Light colour: warm white (2700 to 3000K) for the living room and bedroom, cool white (4000K) for the kitchen and workspace.
- Dimming: cosier and more efficient, but only with a dimmable LED lamp and a dimmer that's suitable for LED.
- Saving: switch 5 bulbs and 10 spots to LED and you'll save around 150 euros in a single winter.
- Christmas: outdoors at least IP44, use a timer and check old light strings.
Jump straight to:
Work with layers of light
A single bright ceiling light often makes a room feel cold and flat in winter. That's why I work, just like lighting designers do, with three layers that you switch on and off separately:
1. General light
A ceiling light or recessed spots, so you can see well everywhere. This layer is on during the day and while cooking; late in the evening you switch it off or turn it down.
2. Task light
Focused light where you're doing something: above the worktop, the dining table or your desk. Here the light can be a bit brighter and fresher.
3. Mood light
Soft points of light low in the room, such as a table lamp, candle bulbs or an LED strip behind the TV. This is the layer that makes winter evenings cosy, and it uses the least energy.
Choose the right light colour for each room
The light colour, expressed in Kelvin (K), determines whether light feels warm and yellowish or fresh and white. For the dark months, this is a handy rule of thumb:
| Light colour | Where |
|---|---|
| 2200 to 2700K, extra warm white | mood lamps, candle bulbs, evenings on the sofa |
| 3000K, warm white | living room, bedroom and dining table |
| 4000K, cool white | kitchen, bathroom and a home workspace |
| 6000K, daylight white | garage, attic, shed and hobby room |
Not sure? With the Light colour in your room tool you'll see the difference straight away. You can read more in LED colour temperature: 2700K, 3000K, 4000K or 6500K?.
Dimming: cosier and more efficient
A dimmed lamp gives less light and also uses less electricity. Especially in winter, when the lights are on for a long time, that's a nice bonus. Do keep two things in mind:
The lamp has to be dimmable
Not every LED lamp can be dimmed. In my shop it's always in the product name. A non-dimmable lamp on a dimmer can start to flicker or hum.
The dimmer has to suit LED
An old halogen dimmer is often too heavy for the low wattage of LED. You can read how to choose the right combination in Dimmable LED lamps and LED dimmers.
Want to get your living room or kitchen right in one go? Then these two come in handy:
Recessed spots complete, 10 pcsdimmable, warm white 2700K, incl. fittingsView ›
GU10 spot 5W (=50W)warm white 3000K, dimmableView ›Mood lighting for the long evenings
Candle bulbs and filament bulbs
Bulbs with a visible filament give the warm light of the old days, but efficiently. Lovely in a chandelier, wall light or table lamp. The candle bulb with amber glass gives extra warm light of 2200K, which comes close to candlelight.
Candle bulb E14 amber, 2 pcs4W, extra warm white 2200K, filamentView ›
Round bulb E14, 2 pcs4W (=40W), warm white 2700K, 470 lmView ›LED strip behind the TV or under the cabinets
Indirect light makes a room feel bigger and calmer, and stops you staring at a bright screen in a dark room. With a COB LED strip you don't see separate dots, just one even line of light. The RGB+CCT version can do every colour as well as white light from warm white to cool white. A single-colour strip is easy to dim with a PWM dimmer. You'll find more ideas in Indirect lighting with LED strips.
COB LED strip RGB+CCT, 2 × 5 m24V, all colours and whiteView ›
LED dimmer with rotary knobfor 12V and 24V strips, up to 8AView ›Night lights with a sensor: no more fumbling in the dark
In winter you often get up in the dark, and in the evening the hallway and stairs quickly turn pitch black too. A small light with a sensor solves that, without a lamp burning all night. The rechargeable night light only switches on when you walk past in the dark, and it attaches magnetically wherever you need it. The snowflake switches on by itself when it gets dark, uses 0.5 watts and has 7 colours: a fun touch for the kids' room at this time of year.
Rechargeable night lightwith motion and day/night sensorView ›
Snowflake night lightday/night sensor, 7 colours, 0.5WView ›You'll find all models under LED night lights.
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Worked example: this is how much you save this winter
How much you save depends on your lamps, how long they're on and your energy contract. In the Netherlands, at the end of 2026 you pay on average around 0.24 euros to 0.28 euros per kWh including taxes. Below I calculate with 0.25 euros per kWh, 8 hours of use per day and 120 winter days (November through February).
| Situation | Old | LED | Saving per winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 bulbs in the living room | 5 × 42 W | 5 × 6 W | approx. 43 euros |
| 10 recessed spots in kitchen and living room | 10 × 50 W halogen | 10 × 5 W | approx. 108 euros |
Together that's around 150 euros in a single winter, and the lamps keep going for years after that. So the LED bulbs in a pack of 5 pay for themselves in the very first winter. Work out your own situation with the savings calculator, or use Which lamp do I have? if you don't know which lamp you have now.
Free tools: work it out and choose for yourself
Rather not guess, but know exactly what you need? On ledplanet.nl you'll find free tools that help you along in a few minutes. You don't need to install anything or create an account.
Christmas lights: festive and safe
From the end of November, the lights go back up in lots of homes. With LED, Christmas lights use only a fraction of what old-fashioned bulbs did. Here's how to do it safely:
Outdoors at least IP44
The plug and the connections must also be splash-proof. The 10-metre LED light string with 250 LEDs in extra warm white 2400K is IP44 and runs on 24V via an adapter. You can read what the IP ratings mean in IP rating explained.
Use a timer
That way the lights don't stay on all night and you don't have to think about it.
Check old light strings
Before hanging them up, check for damage or loose wires. If in doubt, don't use the string any more.
Colour in an ordinary lamp
With a red 4-watt LED bulb you can turn an outdoor light or pendant lamp into a Christmas light in no time.
LED light string 10 metres250 LEDs, extra warm white 2400K, IP44View ›
Red LED round bulb E274W, for atmosphere and ChristmasView ›You'll find all Christmas lights under LED Christmas lights.
Prepared for a power cut
A storm or a grid failure can be particularly unpleasant in winter, because it stays dark for so long. So keep an emergency lamp in a fixed spot, with spare batteries next to it. The dimmable battery-powered emergency lamp gives 300 lumens of warm white light, the rechargeable camping lamp with USB-C 320 lumens. You'll find more tips in Emergency lamp for power cuts.
Dimmable emergency lampbattery-powered, warm white, 300 lmView ›
Rechargeable camping lampUSB-C, dimmable, 320 lmView ›Checklist: get your home ready for the dark days
- First replace the lamps that are on the longest with LED.
- Choose warm white (2700 to 3000K) in the living room and bedroom.
- Make at least one lamp per room dimmable.
- Put night lights with a sensor in the hallway, on the stairs and in the kids' room.
- Keep an emergency lamp with batteries ready.
Frequently asked questions
When is the shortest day of 2026?
Which light colour is cosiest in winter?
Do I save electricity by dimming?
Can indoor lighting be used outdoors?
How much do I save with LED in winter?
Have a lovely winter,
Bas / LEDPLANET.NL
The tips in this article are intended as general advice. If you're working on the fixed electrical installation or on 230V connections, have it done by a qualified electrician. The savings are worked examples: what you actually save depends on your lamps, hours of use and energy contract. Sunrise and sunset times apply to the centre of the Netherlands.