Washington, D.C. – When the lights of the Capitol Christmas tree turn on tomorrow, significantly less energy will be used thanks to the first-time addition of Light Emitting Diode (LED) holiday lights.  The long lasting, energy efficient LED bulbs use about 90 percent less electricity than traditional holiday lights and last 20,000 hours (the equivalent of more than 100 holiday seasons).  LED lights will constitute 15 percent of the total lights on the Christmas tree, with the intention to increase the percentage in future years. 

"I am very pleased to start a new tradition at the Capitol this year of using energy-efficient lighting for the Christmas tree," Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete V. Domenici said. "I encourage all families to incorporate LED holiday lights and other energy efficient lighting technologies into their homes so they can enjoy cost savings and help reduce electricity consumption."                                        

“As we look for ways to improve energy efficiency across the nation, the addition of highly efficient LED lights to the Capitol Christmas tree demonstrates there are easy ways to save energy that many Americans might not immediately think about,” Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said.  “This Christmas, American families can purchase energy efficient LED lights that use one tenth the electricity, last ten times as long, reduce the risk of fire, and cut holiday lighting bills.”

The 2005 Capitol Christmas tree arrived last week from Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico, home to Chairman Domenici and Ranking Member Jeff Bingaman.  The State of New Mexico also plays a key role in the LED lights that adorn the tree.  New Mexico contains Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, which is one of the nation's leading centers of research and development for LED lighting.  Sandia houses the Solid State Lighting Research & Development program to further develop LED technology so that it can replace general illumination sources in homes, offices, and retail centers, at a similar energy savings.  

To further the development of energy-efficient lighting, the recently passed Energy Policy Act of 2005 created the Next Generation Lighting Initiative, a public-private partnership aimed at accelerating the development of advanced LED lighting science and technologies.  This development in lighting technology eases the financial burden on businesses and consumers and furthers our advancement in energy conservation.