Town of Wellesley Switches to LED Holiday Lights
Sustainable Wellesley Suggests Residents and Businesses Follow Town’s Lead
The Town of Wellesley is leading the way to a more sustainable holiday season by switching Town holiday lights to LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and setting many of them to go off at 11 pm. Municipal Light Plant Director Dick Joyce says the Town will save money by changing to LED lights and by making sure most of the lights are off when residents aren’t awake to enjoy them.
This season, the Town will decorate the lawn at Town Hall, 30 trees, and 50 lampposts. All but the lamppost lights will go off at 11 pm, according to a decision by the Wellesley Board of Selectmen.
Sustainable Wellesley is encouraging Wellesley residents and businesses to follow the Town’s lead by using LED holiday lights to celebrate sustainably and sensibly. The technology behind LED lighting has improved dramatically in recent years and warm white LED holiday lights can be indistinguishable from incandescent lights.
Some important facts about LED holiday lights:
• LEDs use 65 to 90 percent less energy than incandescents.
• LEDs can last up to 10 times longer than incandescents.
• LEDs run cooler than incandescents and pose a lower fire risk.
Turning holiday lights off by 11 pm – or putting the lights on a timer to go off automatically – will save even more energy and money. Residents and businesses can take sustainability measures a step further by signing up to get their electricity from renewable power sources through the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant’s Power to Choose program. This low-cost option is available online at WellesleyRenewableEnergy.com, or by calling the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant, 781-235-7600, ext. 3366.
For more energy saving tips, visit SustainableWellesley.com.
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