The National Capital Commission is once again illuminating the Parliament Buildings and other area attractions with close to 300,000 twinkling Christmas lights – but this year’s festival of holiday colour features an environmental twist in the form of energy-saving LED bulbs.
“All of the lights in the display are LED lights,” said NCC spokesperson Julie Rocheleau, noting that the 2008 version of the Christmas Lights Across Canada Festival marks the first all-LED extravaganza for the NCC in the national capital.
The NCC made the commitment to use light emitting diode bulbs in 2006 when it incorporated 100,000 of them in its annual display. The commission pledged to use 100,000 more LED bulbs in the 2007 festival celebration, with the eventual goal of using only LED lights for 2008 and beyond.
Unlike the heat-producing filament of fluorescent light bulbs, LED bulbs use almost 100 per cent of the energy channeled into them to produce light. They last longer than normal light bulbs and give off far less heat, thereby wasting less energy to produce their light.
Lighting costs account for more than 20 per cent of the total energy used by North Americans on an annual basis, according to environmental studies.
Rocheleau said the financial savings from replacing filament lights with LED lights was one of the main reasons the NCC began making the switch two years ago.
“The technology evolved and got better, so we started including LED lights in 2006,” said Rocheleau.
Since the commission began using LED lights, the electricity bills incurred by the commission during the festival have gone down by 80 per cent, Rocheleau added.
The commission has decorated Parliament Hill, Confederation Park, the Governor General’s residence at Rideau Hall, the prime minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive and Confederation Boulevard – the ceremonial route through downtown Ottawa and Gatineau – as part of the festival, which runs until Jan. 9.
Numerous museums, embassies and businesses have also been decorated and are participating in the festival. Some of those partners are still using traditional bulbs, the NCC said at its website.
Provincial and territorial capitals are also participating in the lights festival, with major buildings decorated for what the NCC describes as “a tradition of collaboration and goodwill among all Canadians.”