Light Up the Night
By: Elizabeth Brotherton and Emily Yehle
March 5, 2008
The Capitol Dome is closer to getting illuminated in green.
Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard announced on Tuesday that he has awarded a $671,000 contract to a Philadelphia-based firm to design an energy-efficient lighting scheme for the Capitol Dome.The Lighting Practice is expected to take about three months to come up with the design plan, which then will be handed over to the Architect of the Capitol, who will select a vendor to install the lighting.
“The Dome is currently lit with lighting that is energy inefficient, generates enormous amounts of heat and requires vigilant maintenance,” Beard said in a statement. “Modernizing the Dome’s lighting will bring us in line with other landmarks, like the Jefferson Memorial, which has already transitioned to more energy efficient illumination.”
The process will need to be approved by Congressional leadership, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, according to the CAO’s office. If all goes as planned, the new lights will be installed in six months.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) expressed support in a Feb. 26 letter sent to acting Architect Stephen Ayers.
“Assuming the design is approved ... we strongly encourage the installation of new lighting at the earliest possible date,” they wrote.
It isn’t known how much money the new lights will save in energy costs in the long run. The CAO noted the relighting of the Jefferson Memorial resulted in energy savings of 80 percent, with 20 percent fewer fixtures and lighting over a 30 percent greater area.
