Monday, November 28, 2011

Most Energy-Efficient Christmas Tree Now Sparkling Behind the Mall of Asia



‘Tis the season of power-consuming celebrations what with all the holiday displays and decorations that need electricity to run. No thanks to over-the-top lighting, Christmas has become one of the biggest carbon-emitting holidays of the year. Unfortunately, few consider the implications of all these on the environment.


Time and time again, we hear campaigns and pleas to cut our carbon emissions and yet, many are still not aware of how they can do their part. For the fourth year, Firefly Electric and Lighting Corporation (FELCO) sets an example by lighting up its energy-efficient Christmas tree at By the Bay, SM MOA to remind the public that celebrating the holidays can be done with greener and more sustainable lighting technologies. (You can read my blog post about last year's lighting event here).

FELCO’s Christmas tree is illuminated by more than 100,000 Firefly LED bulbs with the total energy consumption equivalent to two small window-type air conditioners at two horse powers each. According to Jhie Greenwood, FELCO Marketing Manager, Firefly’s LED Christmas tree uses the latest lighting technology which is five times more energy efficient compared to the regular incandescent bulb.


“A Firefly LED light bulb consumers around 24 pesos a month [which is] seven times less than what’s consumed by an incandescent bulb,” she reveals, adding that LED can actually save households up to P150 per bulb a month.

Aside from being energy efficient, LED is also suitable for green building projects because it contains no mercury components and is proven to withstand impact, vibrations, and disruptions. In addition, Firefly LED can last up to 30,000 hours or 6.8 years of continuous use as compared to the 1,000 hours of a regular incandescent bulb.


During the Christmas tree lighting event, guests were treated to a Yuletide concert featuring The CompanY, the Philippines’ most renowned vocal ensemble; the dance group Whiplash; and young theater artist Angia Laurel of Trumpets. They performed Christmas songs that made the celebration doubly fun. What I enjoyed the most though was when The CompanY sang a medley of their best songs (Now That I Have You, Muntik na Kitang Minahal, Everlasting Love) which all happen to be my personal favorites.

By adopting LED technology as a viable solution, FELCO hopes that Filipinos would take notice that there are greener options available. “Firefly believes that LED is the light source for the future [and that] using LED products will have a profound impact on energy-saving efforts and become a catalyst in our drive to save our planet for the next generation,” concludes Greenwood.

* Firefly’s eco-friendly Christmas tree will be showcased behind the Mall of Asia until January 2012. For more information about FELCO, visit www.fireflyelectric.com or contact (632) 2422060 to 65; (632) 2422070 to 72; (632) 2422074 to 75 locals 501 to 510.


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