'Twas the light before Christmas
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Pete Puotinen, the assistant manager of the Aubuchon Hardware in downtown Rutland, shows the popular LED lights the store has on display. VYTO STARINSKAS / RUTLAND HERALD |
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By PATRICIA MINICHIELLO Herald Staff - Published: December 24, 2008
Looking for ways to green up your holidays with more than just trees and garland?
You might want to consider the carbon footprint of holiday LED lights.
This year decking the halls and grounds with LED lights will yield about 80 percent more energy savings than traditional bulbs.
Joe Stuhlmueller, a spokesman for Rutland Regional Medical Center, said for the first year ever, the entire building and grounds are laced with LED lights exclusively. He said the main reason for the switch is the lower temperature of the lights and reducing the possibility of a fire.
"The fact that there's less energy consumption is an added bonus," Stuhlmueller said.
Jason Swett, owner of Christmas Décor Professional Decorators of Vermont, said the majority of his business has gone green.
He outfitted the hospital with the low-voltage bulbs and also used the energy-savers throughout the city including Depot Park and downtown Rutland.
In addition, Swett said he used the lights for close to 60 businesses.
"The only problem with LEDs right now is the cost. They are almost four times the cost of regular mini-lights that we use," Swett said.
In time, Swett said, the lights will save money. It's just the initial upfront investment that is expensive.
"You're going to pull less power and save money with (Central Vermont Public Service Corp.) in the long run. Plus these lights last almost 10 times longer. So you're getting a bigger bang with the LEDs if you can afford that initial investment," Swett said.
Retailers in Rutland and across the country said that last year marked the debut of LED lights and this year the bulbs have flooded the market.
Pete Puotinen, assistant manager of Aubuchon Hardware Store in Rutland, said in 2007 about 55 percent of all holiday lights the store sold were LED lights. He said that number is expected to jump to 75 percent of all sales this year.
"I think it was last year when the switch-over started. Now instead of people coming in and wondering what they want, they come in and know specifically what they want."
Among the many benefits of LED lights, Puotinen said, LEDs don't get as hot as traditional lights, which means using them inside on a live Christmas tree is safer than using higher-voltage lights. He also said the lights save energy and money over time.
Jennifer King, a spokeswoman for Home Depot, said the giant retailer has been selling miles of LED lights this season.
"We've seen a really big response. There's a lot of safety benefits to them. That's been a really hot seller and we have led holiday décor as well," she said.
King said the chain has increased its LED selection by 50 percent this year and are seeing a "tremendous" increase in the sales.
In addition to shoppers greening up this holiday season, so too are government officials.
This year, Montpelier continued the tradition of lighting up the statehouse's holiday tree using only LED lights. The 61-foot blue spruce, which was cut down to 36 feet for shipping purposes, displayed the LEDs for the first time in 2007.
Speaking of holiday trees, the mother of all Christmas trees — Rockefeller Center's 2008 72-foot-tall Norway spruce in New York City — has been lit, for the second year running, exclusively with 30,000 LED lights.
"Pretty soon that's all we'll be using. We'll phase out everything else," Swett said. "Everybody pushes for the green industry and that's certainly where we're heading."
Contact Patricia Minichiello at patricia.minichiello@rutlandherald.com.
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