A lighter load

A Christmas tree that Rebekah Bezzina lit up in the presence of Resources Minister George Pullicino in St George’s Square, Valletta is as energy-efficient as it can get.

According to Smart Lights Ltd, the company which sponsored the installation and the 230 LED lamps on the spiral yuletide tree, 30 days running the lights on the tree would cost the grand total of €6, compared to €324, and saved 99 per cent of energy consumption and gas emissions.

That said, however, the lamps and their installation on the St George’s Square tree and its twin in St Anne Square, Sliema, cost €10,000 – sponsored by the company.

While the costs may not work out for this particular tree, director Jonathan Borg argued the Maltese-manufactured LEDs would pay themselves back in six to seven months time in a commercial setting and the tree was set up to help the Christmas atmosphere but also raise awareness on the efficiency of such technology.