LEDs light up London's Tower Bridge for the Olympics

Already one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, London's Tower Bridge will star in the upcoming Olympic Games with colorful nightly light shows. Decked out with 3,800 new architectural and floodlight LEDs, the bridge will not only be a centerpiece of the games but will continue to glow for 25 years thanks to the bulbs from GE. And because the lights last longer and are more energy-efficient, the bridge will cost less to illuminate and maintain.

A sponsor of the games, GE replaced the bridge's static lights with LEDs that vary in intensity and color. "We are incredibly proud to have been involved with the lighting scheme at Tower Bridge," said Phil Marshall, President and CEO, GE Lighting, in a statement. "The combination of architectural and floodlight LEDs were specified to help reduce the energy used to light the bridge by up to 40 percent compared with the previous system."

The lights debuted for Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee when the bridge was bathed in white light. For the games the bridge will be decorated with the Olympic rings and the light shows will feature red, white and blue, and other bright hues. LEDs are a good choice for outdoor use because they instantly brighten, even in frigid temperatures, and performance is not affected by frequently turning them on and off.

The GE Energy Smart 40 W LED, which replaces a 40-50 watt bulb, is one of the top-scoring lightbulbs in Consumer Reports' tests of LEDs, CFLs and halogen bulbs. Only the Philips Ambient LED 12.5W, a 60-watt equivalent, scored higher in our battery of five tests. Although they still cost considerably more than CFLs, LED prices have been falling about 20 percent every year. Plus LEDs use even less energy than CFLs and are claimed to last for decades. That means the bulbs on London's bridge won't be coming down anytime soon.

Via: LEDs light up London's Tower Bridge for the Olympics