Visit us on the Internet at:
www.vvec.com DECEMBER 2015
LEDs for the Holidays
“LED, LED, LED’” (imagine this being chanted the way “USA” is at the Olympics). While LEDs won’t necessarily anchor a relay to vic- tory, they are most certainly the current champions when it comes to energy-efficient lighting. So, let’s discuss using LEDs for your holiday decorating enjoyment. When I was a kid, we enjoyed decorating with large painted in- candescent bulbs. My dad would hang them around the front door, and we’d deck out the tree with a couple of strings. They were glori- ous—and hot, posing a real dan- ger when used on a dry tree. Fast-forward a couple of de- cades, and the energy conser- vation movement created a de- mand for more efficient options.
Published for the members of Verdigris Valley Electric Cooperative A Supplement to Oklahoma Living
By Tom Tate
Enter the mini incandescent light strings. These are still widely used today and dramatically reduced the power consumed by their pre- decessors.
As is true in our technological age, manufacturers didn’t stop looking for even more efficient alternatives. This led to the in- troduction of LED lights. The first incarnations generated less-than- appealing garish blues, greens and reds but quickly softened into a more eye-pleasing spectrum. Today, LEDs are the undisputed champs of holiday lighting. You could literally wrap your home in LED light strings, become visible to the International Space Station and still have a pleasantly manageable power bill at the end
of it all. Now there is no reason to let concerns over cost of opera- tion limit your decorating genius. LEDs are also showing up in other forms and places. They are available in clear tubes that you can wrap around objects for ex- tra interest (the tubes glow), and many yard figures are constructed with these as the main structural element. Imagine the possibilities. You have worked hard all year
to reduce your energy consump- tion to save money and slim down your carbon footprint. Now re- ward yourself with a splendid holi- day display that will be the envy of all who see it while still being miserly with power use.
Tom Tate writes on cooperative issues for the National Rural Elec- tric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consum- er-owned, not-for-profit cooperatives.
electric
Photo courtesy of Straight Talk
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