MEDIA CONTACTS:
Julie Wade / Tim Wirtz
Hoffman York
414-225-9568 / 414-225-9522
jwade@hyc.com
twirtz@hyc.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
-With a simple twist of ENERGY STAR* qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs residents can save money and energy-
MADISON, Wis. (September 28, 2005) – Energy costs are on the rise and as a result Wisconsin residents can expect at least a 30 percent increase in home heating costs this winter. Focus on Energy, the state’s energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, wants residents to know that by making a simple change in lighting, they can save as much as $60 on their utility bills this, and every year.
Throughout its 2005 “Change a Light, Change Wisconsin” campaign, Focus on Energy is challenging residents to change out their five most frequently used light fixtures – or bulbs in them – with ENERGY STAR* qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). To make it easier to buy the qualified CFLs, the program is offering up to a $2 instant Cash-Back Reward per bulb on purchases made from October 1 through November 30, 2005.
The qualified CFLs are being sold for as little as $0.99 each at select retail locations including ACE Hardware, Menards, Mills Fleet Farm and True Value Hardware. Focus on Energy suggests the five bulb changes be made in the living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom and master bathroom.
“Fall 2005 marks the fifth year of the ‘Change a Light, Change Wisconsin’ campaign,” said Sara Van de Grift, ENERGY STAR Products program manager. “It is more important now than it ever has been that residents find ways to help lessen the impact of high energy costs on their pocketbooks. By accepting our challenge and changing out the five most used fixtures in their homes residents can at least offset some of those increased energy costs.”
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle believes in greater energy efficiency. He has proclaimed October 5 as ENERGY STAR “Change a Light” Day in Wisconsin as part of the ENERGY STAR “Change a Light, Change the World” campaign. By making this change, Wisconsin residents can make a difference by saving energy, thereby increasing energy reliability and improving natural energy security.
How Wisconsin Households Can Make a Difference By making this simple switch to ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs, Wisconsin residents also contribute to a cleaner environment while saving energy and lowering their utility bills. Focus on Energy calculated that if every Wisconsin household replaces five incandescent bulbs with five qualified CFLs:
* Wisconsin’s energy bills will be reduced by more than $103,872,282 over the 10-year lifetime of the bulbs.
* More than 137,579,904 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy will be saved each year – enough to power 13,758 Wisconsin homes.
* The annual environmental impact will be the equivalent of removing 22,219 cars from the road.
* More than 165,096 tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide will not be released into the atmosphere over the bulb’s lifetime – the equivalent of saving 68,790 tons of coal from being burned to generate electricity.
“Our goal with this program is always to increase consumer awareness of energy efficient lighting and to encourage the use of these products in homes and businesses,” said Van de Grift. “We’ve already started to realize the benefits. Since the start of the program in 2001, Wisconsin consumers have purchased more than three million CFLs, but we still need to reach four million residents and show them how energy efficiency can benefit them too.”
Simple Solution with Superior Performance Not only do ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy than typical incandescent light bulbs, but CFLs also offer superior performance by lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, making frequent changes of hard-to-reach bulbs a thing of the past. Residents will see how bright and warm the light is and how little time they will spend replacing the energy efficient bulbs.
Lighting products that earn the ENERGY STAR offer extra safety and convenience features too. CFLs generate approximately 70 percent less heat than standard incandescent lighting, which means they are cooler to touch and less of a fire hazard. With the wide variety of CFL shapes, sizes and styles available, energy efficient lighting can be used throughout the home and yard. CFLs are available for use in virtually any indoor or outdoor lighting fixture, including desk lamps, floor lamps, decorative cabinet lighting, suspended lights, ceiling-mounted lights, recessed lights, wall-mounted lights, porch lights, outdoor post lamps and flood lights.
It Starts Now
Most people want to do their part to help the environment, but don’t know where to start. Choosing ENERGY STAR qualified lighting for the home is a simple way to save time, energy and money, and help preserve the environment for future generations. Qualified lighting can benefit businesses too by lowering operating costs and improving their bottom line.
For more information about the “Change a Light, Change Wisconsin” campaign, or to find the locations of area retailers participating in the program, call Focus on Energy at 800.762.7077 or visit focusonenergy.com.
About Focus on Energy
Focus on Energy is a public-private partnership offering energy information and services to energy utility customers throughout Wisconsin. The goals of this program are to encourage energy efficiency and use of renewable energy, enhance the environment and ensure the future supply of energy for Wisconsin. Since July 2001, the program has helped Wisconsin’s businesses and residents cut their annual utility bills by more than $86 million – reducing their energy consumption by more than 725 million kilowatt-hours and more than 35 million therms of natural gas. For more information, call 800.762.7077 or visit focusonenergy.com.
About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency. Today, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy, the ENERGY STAR program offers businesses and consumers energy efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 8,000 organizations have become ENERGY STAR partners and are committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and businesses.
