The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is going ever greener — for the first time, the lights on the towering spruce will be energy-saving bulbs.Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he hoped to set an example for the tens of millions of New Yorkers and tourists who see the tree every year. Replacing the lights reduces the energy consumption of the holiday display from 3,510 to 1,297 kilowatt hours per day. The daily savings is equal to the amount of energy used to power a 2,000-square-foot home for a month. The 84-foot-tall Norway spruce will be covered with five miles of wire and 30,000 multicolored bulbs known as light emitting diodes, or LEDs. After the lighting on Nov. 28, the tree stays illuminated from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. most days through the first week of January. The tradition of the tree in Rockefeller Center dates back to 1931, when construction workers erected a 20-foot Balsam fir amid the mud and rubble.
“Now they will see an example of green leadership which may inspire them to make greener choices in their own lives,” Bloomberg said Tuesday.
Oh brother.
ANd replacing Bulbs, ecah year WONT be such a PAIN.
I’d love to see it up close – like decades ago when I used to make it part of an annual trip down to the city. With the LEDs being small neat point sources of light, should really be impressive.
I had wired with LED Christmas lights the house exterior, thinking, hey, will last at least 10 years. Cheap to run, etc, etc.
WRONG – damn things cost 3x the regular lights, I had needed some 12 sets, two were defective in 24 hours, 3 other sets a few weeks later.
On the box : Made In China
LED’s will last 1000x longer than a regular bulb, provided they are manufactured properly.
Air infiltration will kill them, as well as heat.
I’ve had similar bad experiences with CFL’s, not lasting longer than a regular bulb, yet I paid 4x the price.
On the box : Made In China
// Mad At China
“Oh brother.” Really? You have a problem with using efficient technology?
Mark is right…
FIRSt is the SIZE of the wire, as with the Original Bulbs, it protects from Fire and Breaking wires.
ALSO use COATED HOOKS, NEVER use Metal ONLY.
direct sun light KILLS ALL bulbs…And PLASTICS done like HEAT or SUN.
ANd if you are SMART, you will place a bit of Tape around all the connectors, to keep water out, I DONT CARE what they say about being WATER PROOF, or able to use out doors…It keeps water, and AIR down which can cause corrosion and Electrolysis, WHICH will cause the wire to HEAT and take more power IF NOT blow a circuit or cause FIRE.
Agree with the “old brother”, why does society have to carry everything to the extreme. I hate the damn neon lites, so dull. Nothing wrong with general use, but its as bad as not being able to celebrate Xmas in the schools even when 99% of the kids celebrate Christmas, we just can upset the 1%
Don’t be mad at the Chinese, be mad at the company that demands these LEDs to be manufactured as cheaply as possible.
Go green! Nevermind the tree murder.
With non-LED outdoor Christmas lights, you can Re-Use and Repair.
The LED ones, are 100% sealed. Impossible to fix, when one LED dies, the voltage changes, and all the rest light up too strong, then they all die.
Not worth the 10$ in electricity savings when they cost you 3x the price, and then go to a Landfill.
Its great awareness, save earth, reduce energy usage.
All the best, merry chrismas.
Tracy ho
http://www.wisdomgettingloaded.com/
If they are going “green” why bother to cut the tree ? Leave the great scenic Canadian Christmas tree alone , intact and alive
Looks like something’s wrong with the numbers in this story. LEDs use far less power than the old incandescent bulbs. The savings quoted are 1297 now v 3510 before. The new 1297 kWh/da works out to 1297/6hr per day, over 30,000 lights …so 7.2 W per LED light!? More realistic would be something like .17 W per light.
Power savings should be closer to 98% than 63% No?
12,
correct..But Im thinking they will use more LED lights.
Leds have a rage of about 1 mile to be seen, where the Others could be seen upto 16 miles..
We shall see.