GreenWorks - Saving Energy, Money, and the Environment with Just One Light

Saving Energy, Money, and the Environment with Just One Light

This fall, as our energy needs start to rise with longer nights and colder weather, people across New Hampshire and the country are being encouraged to commit to replace one incandescent light bulb or fixture in their home with one that has earned the ENERGY STAR label. This special label designates products that prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency criteria set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

You can be a part of this national campaign to save energy and protect our environment by pledging to change just one light. According to EPA, if every American household replaces just one traditional light with an ENERGY STAR-qualified bulb, we will save enough energy to light seven million homes, save $600 million in utility bills, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to one million cars.

Here's a bright idea, why not make even a bigger difference and change five or more lights? Lighting accounts for nearly 20 percent of electricity costs, or about $90 a year. ENERGY STAR new compact fluorescent light bulbs, commonly referred to as CFL bulbs, provide high-quality light, but they burn at much cooler temperatures and use 75 percent less energy without sacrificing quality. With the energy savings and the fact that these new bulbs burn more than twice as long as the conventional incandescent bulbs, you can save $25 or more per bulb over its lifetime.

When you use less energy, you help prevent global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Whenever you turn on a light, do a load of laundry, or run your air conditioner, there's a power plant working to deliver that energy to your home. Most electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels, which releases greenhouse gas emissions into our air. So, using less energy is important for our environment now and into the future.

Take the "ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World Campaign" pledge at www.energystar.gov/changealight. Once you have committed to changing one bulb, imagine what else you can do.

• Change five lights. Replace your home's five most frequently used light fixtures, or the bulbs in them, with models that have earned the ENERGY STAR for energy efficiency and save more than $60 a year in energy costs. The five highest-use lights are typically found in the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and outdoor areas.
• Flip off a switch. When you leave a room, turn off the light and see the savings.
• Look to lumens (not Watts) for light. Energy-efficient lighting will provide the same amount of light while using fewer Watts. When selecting energy-efficient light bulbs, use lumens, or light output, as the guide.