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Christmas Tree Lights Energy Efficient Savings
Trimming the Tree, Trimming the Costs
Crews won’t just be trimming the National Christmas Tree, they’ll be
trimming the nation’s energy bill, too, with the most energy-efficient holiday display in our national history.
Lit almost entirely by light-emitting diodes called LEDs, the 2008 National Christmas Tree LED lights display
was 50 percent more energy efficient than the previous year’s display. While Christmas Tree LED
lights were used on the National Tree for the first time in 2007, this year’s display saves even more energy
by eliminating the lighted garland and making use of smaller, lighter-weight ornaments. 2008 marked the first year
that all 56 U.S. state and territory trees were powered by Christmas tree LED lights donated by GE, for a
substantial savings in energy.
"LEDs have become the cool, new technology in lighting, and with good reason," said Kathy Presciano, designer of
the National Christmas Tree and lighting designer for GE. "They use a fraction of the energy, and they last 10
times as long as a traditional incandescent light. They worked so well for last year’s National Tree, this year we
decided to expand them to the state trees, too," Presciano said.
Building a tradition of savings Using Christmas Tree LED Lights
Having entered the market in force last Christmas season, pre-lit LED Christmas trees, LED Christmas light
sets, and even LED outdoor decorations are now a mainstream choice for consumers looking to decorate
their homes for the Christmas holidays. "Expect to see them become brighter, more efficient, and more
versatile with each passing year," Presciano said.
The National Tree will carry more than 37,000 individual LED lights, including the topper and the background
lights. The 42-inch tall, star-shaped tree topper is an "heirloom" topper used for the last two years. It is
outfitted with industrial grade, white GE Tetra LEDs -- a product offering of GE’s LED business, Lumination, LLC.
As many as 680, 50-light strings of clear, C5 LEDs will provide a dazzling backdrop to the tree. Each string costs
only 14 cents to light for a full four-week Christmas holiday season.
Presciano noted that for reasons of brightness and weight restrictions, more than 140 star-shaped ornaments were
created using clear, C7 incandescent lights. Each ornament weighs less than two pounds. This year’s 12-inch, 3D
ornaments are made from interlocking Lexan panels with applied, bright gold, holographic mosaic vinyl. Designed to
catch the sun, the ornaments will make the tree look lit, even when it’s turned off during the day.
While groups from each state are responsible for the ornaments decorating their own state tree, GE donated
more than 360 strings of clear, C5 Christmas LED lights to serve as their background lights. The clear lights will
match the National Tree and help create a unified look when the trees are lit, Presciano said.
Waste Not, Want Not
Planning for the 2008 tree started when Presciano began creating architectural drawings of the ornaments and
choosing Christmas lights from the GE inventory. But one of the biggest issues was how to take down the
lights at the end of the season.
"With Christmas LEDs lasting so much longer, we’re carefully taking them off and storing them so we can create an
inventory of light resources for the country that will last for years," Presciano said. Last year’s garland,
topper, ornaments and multi-colored strings were saved, she noted, and should be rotated back into use in years to
come.
GE has been designing the National Christmas Tree since 1962, producing and donating the Christmas lighting
and decorations. Presciano has personally designed every tree since 1995. 2008 Christmas tree lighting
ceremony took place December 4. "It may take months of planning and work to design the tree, but there’s
nothing quite like the reward you get when the President flips the switch and the tree just comes to life. It’s the
symbol of the holidays, and the blessing of being able to celebrate together, in freedom. It’s an honor for GE to
be a part of that," she said.
The lighting of the National Christmas Tree is an unbroken tradition that began in 1923 when Calvin Coolidge lit
the first Christmas tree on the Ellipse. The event is sponsored by the National Park Foundation, official
charitable partner of America’s National Parks, and the National Park Service.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
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