New Delhi: The Rashtrapati Bhavan will have LED lights by the end of the week, a move that will drive down the presidential palace's electricity consumption through lights by 55 percent. The Rashtrapati Bhavan does not just contain the presidential offices and quarters, but also has staff quarters, bank, schools, auditorium, public utilities and street lights within the campus.
Around 21,000 light fixtures inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan complex have been replaced by the Central Public Works Department, which undertook the lighting project.
The iconic complex has been making efforts to save electricity since 2016, when Pranab Mukherjee was in office. Under President Ram Nath Kovind, the project to switch the building to LED lights is estimated to take around 10 days.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan has been making repeated attempts to become not just energy-efficient but also environment-friendly. Last year, the offices of the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the first time witnessed monogrammed glass bottles replace plastic ones.
Further, LED bulbs were used in another initiative last year to light up the facade of Rashtrapati Bhavan on evenings and on special occasions.
In 2010, the Rashtrapati Bhavan became the first urban habitat in India to be ISO-certified after the installation of solar power and waste management system, along with other energy-efficiency measures.