Speaker Heastie Announces Assembly's Continued Commitment to Going Green with Use of LED Lights in the Chamber
Speaker Carl Heastie today announced that the Assembly, in conjunction with the New York State Office of General Services (OGS), updated most of the lights in the Assembly Chamber to more energy efficient light emitting diode (LED) lights. The new LED lights draw less than a quarter the amount of energy of the previous lighting, while improving the quality of lighting in the chamber.
"Here in the People's House, we are always looking for ways we can make doing the people's work more efficient, more effective and more environmentally friendly," Speaker Heastie said. "The move to LED lights will use less energy, save taxpayer dollars and improve the lighting in our chamber."
"The Assembly Majority has fought to put New York on a course for a sustainable future, and I am glad to see us setting an example in our own chamber," Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Steve Englebright said. "I look forward to finding more ways to combat the climate crisis, make the Assembly more energy efficient and New York State more green."
The Assembly and OGS replaced all 106 main downlights, as well as the decorative lighting and the up lighting in the eight chandeliers with LED lights. The new lamps will draw less than a quarter the amount of energy, down to 6,000 watts from 28,000 watts with the old lamps. The energy saving lamps will also save taxpayer dollars in the long term, as they will need to be replaced every five years instead of every year, and with energy efficiency rebates from National Grid, there was minimal cost to upgrade. Additionally, the new LED lights improve the lighting in the chamber for those capturing it on camera.
This change builds on green advances made previously by the Assembly. In 2016, the Assembly implemented a project to eliminate the paper distribution of bills in the chamber, which was previously required by the state constitution. The Assembly continued to cut down on paper by eliminating more than 80 percent of the previous paper distribution of committee legislative materials. In doing so, the Assembly has saved approximately 15 million sheets of paper annually, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.