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November/December 2006

EPA “Change a Light” Campaign

The Environmental Protection Agency recently kicked off its seventh annual Energy Star “Change a Light, Change the World” campaign, encouraging Americans to switch from conventional light bulbs to energy-saving ones. According to the EPA, if every U.S. household changed a single incandescent light bulb to an Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent bulb, it would save enough power to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year, and save consumers money. It would also avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from 800,000 cars, the agency said. Based on the EPA figures, the

annual savings would be 1.8 million kilowatt hours for Douglas County, and about $2 per customer, per year, per bulb.

 

Energy Star-qualified bulbs and fixtures use one-third the energy of traditional models and last up to ten times longer. Consumers can save more than $30 in utility costs over the lifetime of one bulb based on national averages, the EPA estimates. While the money saved will be less in Douglas County because of low electric rates, it still makes sense to consider a bulb or two. Even though our clean, renewable hydropower does not generate greenhouse gas, energy saved here will have a ripple effect that results in less fossil-fueled generation someplace else.

 

More information about Energy Star can be found at http://www.energystar.gov/ or by calling 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937), toll-free.

 

Holiday Safety

The holiday season has arrived, and it’s time to decorate the house.

Before you hang holiday lights or put up a tree, Douglas PUD would

like to offer some tips to ensure that you and your family have a safe

and happy holiday season:

  • When decorating outdoors, keep ladders away from overhead power lines.
  • For outside decorations, use only those lights labeled for outdoor use.
  • Keep Christmas tree lights away from the tree’s water supply.
  • Never string lights while they are plugged in.
  • Keep greenery safe and fresh with frequent watering.
  • Keep paper, tinsel and water away from hot lights.
  • Never put electric lights on a metal Christmas tree.
  • Inspect tree lights for cracked or loose sockets, exposed wires,
  • and frayed, broken or scorched insulation.
  • Don’t overload home circuits with too many lights.
  • Buy lights labeled by a testing laboratory, such as Underwriters
  • Laboratory (UL).
  • Unplug cords before you go out or to bed.