Electric Cooperatives Encourage Members to "Do the Light Switch"

Lexington, SC, April 23, 2008 — Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative wants its members to save energy, save money and help save the planet. That's why the cooperative has joined with the state's other 19 electric cooperatives in a multi-year campaign to place 7 million energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in the home of every cooperative member in the state.

Beginning this month and continuing through the end of June, each household served by Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative will receive two free CFLs in the mail as part of a new "Do the Light Switch" program. Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative also has given out a free CFL to each member who registered at its annual meeting this year. In this first year of the program, 1.2 million CFLs are expected to be distributed statewide.

"We're giving our members an opportunity to do something about their power bill," said Jack Wolfe, CEO of Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative. "By helping them reduce their energy use we can lower the cost of generating energy and pass those savings on to our members."

One 60-watt equivalent CFL will save an average of $30 over its lifetime. Switching to CFLs in your home's most used light fixtures will save you even more money. And those bulbs will last 6-10 times longer than a standard incandescent bulb.

The reason CFLs save money is because they use a lot less energy than ordinary bulbs, about 75% less. If every household in South Carolina changed just one ordinary bulb to a CFL, we'd save up to 83 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. That's enough energy to light all of the homes in Columbia for a year.

Saving energy is important to Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative. Demand for electricity is growing as our state's population increases. Without new power generation in the state, that demand could soon exceed supply, creating rolling black outs or brown outs. One of the answers to that potential problem is to encourage conservation. A recent study conducted on behalf of Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative revealed the number one measure cooperative members could take to curb energy use was to replace standard lighting with energy efficient lighting.

"By distributing CFLs to our members, we're empowering them to be part of the solution to challenges such as climate change and rising energy prices," said Wolfe. "Together, we can make a difference."

For more information on the new program, visit www.DoTheLightSwitch.com.

Related Link

CFL Central »