Since January, PSEG Long Island residential customers have purchased more than two million ENERGY STAR® light bulbs and fixtures with incentives provided by PSEG Long Island. These bulbs are expected to save customers US $21 million or 106 million kilowatt hours per year.
"Lighting makes up nearly 15% of the total residential electricity consumption in the United States," said Mike Voltz, director of Energy Efficiency and Renewables for PSEG Long Island. "By providing incentives to our customers to switch to more efficient light bulbs and fixtures, we are making it even easier for them to save energy and money. With the proliferation of the incentive program, hitting a milestone like two million bulbs in just eight months, PSEG Long Island is taking a significant step toward a greener, more efficient Long Island."
For the first time, a majority of the discounted bulbs have been LEDs rather than compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which had been the preferred replacement for incandescent light bulbs for many years. Through August, nearly 1.1 million discounted LED bulbs have been purchased.
By upgrading a single incandescent light bulb to a LED, customers can save approximately $230 over the lifetime of each bulb. LEDs use at least 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and are expected to last a minimum of 25,000 hours – that's more than 23 years for bulbs that are on for three hours a day.
Discounted LED light bulbs have been available to Long Islanders since 2010. In less than five years, more than three million discounted LEDs have been purchased. Combined with more than nine million discounted CFL bulbs, which have been a part of the program since its inception, purchased during the same time period, more than 12.4 million discounted, energy efficient light bulbs have been purchased. This equates to saving customers approximately 600 million kilowatt hours per year or $120 million each year.
There are several ways that PSEG Long Island customers can purchase discounted light bulbs throughout the year. They can purchase through PSEG Long Island's Online Energy Efficient Products Catalog, mail-order form or by shopping at a participating dealer. For forms, dealer information and a savings calculator, please visit https://www.psegliny.com/page.cfm/Efficiency/Programs/Lighting.
Energy efficient lighting is one of many ways that PSEG Long Island helps customers save energy and money. PSEG Long Island offers rebates on many ENERGY STAR certified clothes washers, dryers, refrigerators and more. Customers can also receive US $50 when they recycle their old working refrigerator or freezer. Along with rebates, PSEG Long Island customers can schedule an in-home energy assessment or complete one online themselves. For more information on PSEG Long Island's available rebates and incentives, as well as energy saving tips, please visit https://www.psegliny.com/savemoney.