UVa eyes energy-efficiency for Lawn lighting display

The Lawn will be a bit greener when it lights up tonight for the holidays.

In years past, incandescent bulbs have illuminated the University of Virginia’s historic centerpiece, but this year they’ve been replaced with more energy-efficient LED bulbs.

David Jessee, a student on the Lawn Lighting Committee, said the new lights use 85 percent less power than their predecessors and draw about as much power as a personal computer.

Jessee said the Lawn lighting generally costs $10,000 — in maintenance, lights and power — to put on each year from early December until early January.

However, this year the lighting committee had to solicit an additional $5,500 to pay for the LED lights and installation fees. The majority was donated by six of the university’s graduate and undergraduate schools’ student councils, he said. Money also was donated by Virginia Dominion Power.

In years past, purchasing the old lights cost between $200 and $300.

The new lights are rated to last 50,000 hours, as opposed to the roughly 3,000-hour lifespan of the old bulbs, Jessee said.

“They can literally be used for decades to come,” he said.

Wayne Russell, electrician supervisor for UVa’s facilities management department, said some of the lights from last year were used to light the Christmas tree at the presidential residence at Carr’s Hill. The others, Russell said, are in storage.

The new lights are on a timer and will glow from dusk till dawn.

The Lawn lighting tradition — in its eighth year — began in 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“It had been a rough year for the community and the country,” Jessee said. “And it’s kind of grown into the event it is today.”

The lighting ceremony begins at 6 p.m.