The Legislative Building shines brightly again

| By DES Communications

The Legislative Building's dome lit up at night following repair work. The area surrounding the dome is bright.
After: The dome shines brightly now.

Washington’s capitol building glows thanks to a lighting upgrade.

The Legislative Building is once again shining brightly.

For years, the lights illuminating the dome and its exterior columns had been out of service. Staff could not safely reach the lights. Nor could they find replacement parts for some of the electrical equipment.

Earlier this year, building maintenance professionals in the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) regained safe access to the lights. In May, thanks to some close investigation and concerted problem-solving, they restored the dome’s nighttime glow by:

  • Upgrading fixtures to house energy-efficient LEDs rather than metal halide bulbs.
  • Fixing problems at switches and wiring that had caused the lights to dim.
The Legislative Building’s dome at night prior to lighting repair work.​ The dome is dimly lit and the area surrounding it is dark.
Before: The dome shone dimly until May, when DES undertook electrical upgrades.​

DES staff estimate that the new bulbs reduce the fixtures’ energy consumption by 70 percent, or 96 kilowatts, which saves taxpayers thousands of dollars each year and extends the life of the lights.

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