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Long-lasting LED bulbs will light National Mall

By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY
Updated

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Energy Secretary Steven Chu will flip a switch tonight in Washington, D.C., to turn on new LED lights in streetlamps on the National Mall to make the popular tourist area brighter and less expensive to illuminate.

The National Park Service, which oversees the mall, expects that it will not have to replace the new, longer-lasting bulbs for up to 25 years.

The energy-efficient lights were donated by bulb-maker Osram Sylvania and installed for free by Pepco, a local utility company, in an area from Third to 15th Streets, the Associated Press says.

The bulb company's first venture on the mall was donating LED bulbs for the Jefferson Memorial in 2001, the TFM Facility Blog notes.

Interior Department officials say the new lighting should cut the utility bill for the mall by 60% to 65% while providing brighter lighting, The Washington Post reports.

The Huffington Post says 173 LED lighting retrofit kits have replaced the old illuminators.

The original streetlights were installed in 1936 as part of the federal reconstruction and beautification of the National Mall, TFM reports.

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