Have Yourself a Merry LED Christmas in Michigan
Last weekend Michigan lit its big Christmas tree outside the Capitol building, like usual. But the lights it used weren’t usual at all. Instead of lights that get shredded along with the tree when the Christmas season is over, the LED lights now adorning the huge holiday symbol are re-usable…and a lot more energy efficient.
LED lights, or light-emitting diodes, produce more light per watt than standard incandescent bulbs and have a relatively long lifetime when compared to regular lights. The problem, though, is that they’re expensive. It’s their cost that’s prohibited Michigan from adorning its tree with their luminescence up until now.
But in the spirit of Christmas-giving, the lights were donated by the Lansing Board of Water and Light and the Granger company, which manages waste and electricity in Michigan. The two donated $7,000 worth of lights to decorate the 65-foot spruce from the Upper Peninsula.
The Lansing State Journal reports: They’re good for up to seven years, and are expected to cut the state’s tree-lighting electric bill by 80 percent (from about $2,000 for the 45-day holiday period, to about $400).
The only downside in appearance is that the whole tree takes on a bluish tint instead of the bright multi-color its been in the past.
“The tree looks blue now. That’s not wrong, just different than what we intended. There are about six different colors but you don’t see anything but the blue,” said Kerry Chartkoss, Capitol historian.
But the crowd didn’t seem to mind when the countdown to the lighting reached its end. This is a good thing, as they’ll be stuck with the lights for those seven years, unless the state gets another donation.
In a state where the budget is tight as it is, sometimes donations are the only way to get things done in energy efficiency. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case for most residents, too, and not just in Michigan. Green technology costs more than regular technology, and not everyone can afford to put solar panels on roofs. I’ve always thought the state should give more financial incentives for green technology to regular citizens, but the matter of the Christmas tree is kind of a rude awakening. The state can’t even afford to invest $7000 in efficient Christmas lights that will last for years and save money in the long run - Michigan residents might have to wait awhile still before they can expect to see any incentives for their own lighting.
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How to Calculate the Energy Savings of Switching to LED Christmas Lights
Tips for Buying LED Christmas Lights
Photo Credit: Amanda Peterka
