MADISON, Wis. -- LEDs are cool, colorful and they're a pretty good way to save money this holiday season.

Unlike traditional incandescent bulbs, which give off light and heat, LEDs emit most of their energy as light. This makes them brighter and much more energy efficient, WISC-TV reported.

The city of Madison is cashing in on the savings. The city's signature holiday snowflakes are a little frostier and brighter this year thanks to the technology.

"We switched all the lamps to LEDs, which will save a little over 90 percent of the energy," said Mary Carbine, executive director of the Downtown Madison Business Improvement District.

Changing the bulbs was no easy task. There are 250 snowflakes downtown with 19,000 lights in all. That took three to six volunteers an entire week to change, organizers said.

"The savings we project we'll achieve could heat 19 Wisconsin homes for a year or the equivalent of taking 31 cars off the road," said Carbine.

Besides municipalities, consumers are also cashing in on this cool technology.

"They've gained more popularity because they do last longer, are cooler to the touch and because the plastic doesn't break," said Lynn Clement of Wisconsin Focus on Energy.

In addition, LEDs save as much as 99 percent on electricity costs and last up to 200,000 hours. However, they are slightly more expensive from the start.

"It's about $4-$5, somewhere in that range," said Clement, "But right now, through Focus on Energy, there's a $2 instant cashback reward at Menard's, Mill's."

When combined with the energy savings, officials said that they think LEDs make sense.

"We're very happy with the way they look and the energy savings," said Carbine.

Madison's snowflake switch cost $19,000 this year. The Business Improvement District covered those costs with grants and $15,000 came from Madison Gas and Electric (MG&E). The rest of the costs were cover by the Wisconsin Division of Energy, WISC-TV reported.