All eyes will be on the new LED Crystal Times Square New Year’s Eve ball tonight which is more energy efficient and brighter than last year.

The 9,576 Philips Luxeon LEDs replaced the 600 incandescent and halogen bulbs of the previous Ball. The new Ball is more than twice as bright and capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns. Yet, the entire Times Square Ball will be lit with approximately the same amount of electricity as it takes to power ten toasters or a single oven/range.

Phillips also came out with white light LED Christmas lights that I reported on earlier. (Soft white Christmas 11/07) Electronic blues and reds of LED light is giving way to color temperatures pleasing to humans used to looking at tungsten lights.

The first New Year's Eve in Times Square ball in 1907 was constructed of iron and wood and glowed with with 100 25-watt light bulbs.

The most recently retired ball was illuminated by 168 Philips Halogená Brilliant Crystal light bulbs at 60 watts a piece. The interior of the Ball was illuminated by 432 Philips Light Bulbs (208 clear, 56 red, 56 blue, 56 green, and 56 yellow), and 96 high-intensity strobe lights. The exterior of the Ball featured 90 rotating pyramid mirrors that reflect light back into the audience at Times Square.

168x60watts=10,080
432x60?watts=25,920.... 36,000? watts plus strobes and motors...
A glittering spectacle of consumption

The new ball more resembles the original 1907 ball's scant 2,500 watt power consumption with more bling. The perfect sentinel for the dawn of a new year.

Source: Times Square Alliance