May 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 62

The City of
Gaithersburg
began gradually
switching to
LED lights and
expects to
complete the
transition by
next year.

far between, it underscores the need for
partnerships, especially when it's a yearly event. This has been
a blessing because
they've committed to
partnering with us for this year's anniversary and
four years beyond. It's a win-win for the community. "
The city of El Paso Parks and Recreation Department and the Mayor and City Council all work together to coordinate the event. " We don't do this to
make money. We typically break even. It's a gift to
the people of El Paso, " says Wayne Thornton, public relations and marketing coordinator for City of El
Paso Parks and Recreation Department, whose department handles all the logistics. " We as the Department of Parks and Recreation are the caretakers
of the event. Our staff will work the month of November to prepare by putting the lights in the trees
downtown in the plaza as well as hanging all the
decorations. Last year for the first time we had pink
bulbs, which was our way of honoring breast cancer
awareness. The event is very festive and energizing
for everyone, " Thornton says.
Changing technology is making these holiday
light festivities a little easier to implement. " We started switching over to LED lights, " says Poole from
City of Gaithersburg. " The payoff will be big in cutting down the time it takes staff to change out bulbs.
We did a big push this year to get lights switched
and by next year we'll be all LED. "
LED lights pay off in more ways than one. Stuart
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Watt of Christmas USA, a supplier of LED holiday
lighting, says that while the majority of holiday lights
sold are still incandescent, LED lights have been
gaining share at an increasing pace. " Using LED
lights can save over 85 percent in energy costs versus comparable incandescent lights, " Watt says.
" Much of the energy consumption for incandescent
lights is wasted through heating the filaments, while
most of the energy used by LED lights goes directly
toward generating light. "
When deciding between purchasing incandescent and LED lights, it may be wise to consider the
long term benefits. " Incandescent holiday lights
have a much shorter life span and will require more
frequent replacement while LED holiday lights can
last up to 10 times longer, " Watt says. " LED lights are
constructed using solid state components and plastic
lamp casings, so they are more durable than incandescent lights using glass bulbs and filaments. LED
lights generate very little heat, as a result they are
a safer, cool to the touch product. In addition, since
LED lights use much less cumulative wattage than
incandescent lights, more sets can be connected together, allowing greater flexibility to installers. "
The improving technology behind LED lights
may offer another benefit. " LED sets are available
now with super bright diodes and colors have been
improved in recent years to be comparable to the
colors emitted by traditional incandescent lights.
LED sets are also available with replaceable lamps
and technology that allows the light sets to continue operating even if a lamp is burned out, loose or
missing, " Watt says.
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May 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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