Willow Point Nursing Home Saves Energy With LED Holiday Lights

Energy-efficient holiday lights help Broome County lower energy bill by $147.00 over the holidays and save 89 percent of the energy that would have been used by the same number of incandescent bulbs.

BINGHAMTON, NY - In an effort to promote sustainable practices, Broome County will replace its incandescent holiday lights with energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lights. A holiday tree lighting ceremony to showcase the LED lights will be held at the Willow Point Nursing Home on Tuesday evening at 4:30pm. County Executive Barbara Fiala welcomes residents, family and the community to attend.

LED holiday lights are constructed from solid-state chips that convert electricity into light without using a filament or glass bulb. They can burn for up to 100,000 hours, enough to last through more than 11 holiday seasons. They produce almost no heat, rarely burn out, will not overload household circuits and come in a variety of lengths, sizes, colors and styles.

Broome County is replacing 1450 incandescent bulbs they would have ordered, with C9 Commercial Forever Bright LED light bulbs to light its 50 foot holiday tree at the Willow Point Nursing Home. The lights were purchased from Environmental Lights of California, a supplier of Energy Star lighting products, with a $1,000 grant provided by the Municipal Electric and Gas Alliance (MEGA) and in partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to promote high efficient, cost effective holiday lighting systems.

“We are thankful for the generous donation of energy efficient Christmas lights to the Willow Point Nursing Home,” stated County Executive, Barbara J. Fiala. “Now, residents and families can look out their windows and enjoy the festive display. The lights illuminate the holiday spirit,” added Executive Fiala.

The 1450 new LED lights will draw only 166 watts of power. The Willow Point Nursing Home holiday lighting is expected to be illuminated for twenty-four hours a day. Typical holiday lighting operates during day and evening hours, beginning around Thanksgiving and ending just after New Years Day, 2008. The 1450 LED holiday lighting will save 1334 watts and 1281 kilo-watt hours over the holidays, compared to the same number of lights of an incandescent system, saving Broome County approximately $147.00 in electricity charges, based on typical holiday lighting operating hours and average energy charges for a customer like Willow Point Nursing Home.

“This simple change creates big savings for Willow Point Nursing Home and Broome County,” said Paul D. Tonko, president and CEO of NYSERDA. “LED lights use substantially less energy and are safer than traditional lighting because they burn cooler. These long-lasting holiday lights will help us reach Governor Spitzer's goal of reducing electricity consumption 15 percent by 2015, while protecting the environment and serving the community for many years to come.”

For a list of statewide retailers that sell energy efficient lighting products, visit www.GetEnergySmart.org or call toll-free 1.877.NY.SMART. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) uses innovation and technology to solve some of New York's most difficult energy and environmental problems in ways that improve the State's economy.

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Published Date: 12-12-2007