Chelan County PUD will distribute free compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to customers from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27. Drive in to your nearest office in Wenatchee, Leavenworth or Chelan to receive a bag of 20 free, energy-saving bulbs.

The 13-watt bulbs replace 60-watt incandescent bulbs. The bulbs have a light output of 900 lumens, with an average life of 10,000 hours. In Chelan County homes, using one 13-watt CFL will save an average of $15 over the life of the bulb.

Customers must show a recent PUD electric bill when picking up the bulbs. Offer available while supplies last.

In the average U.S. home, lighting accounts for about 20 percent of the electric bill. The easiest way to start saving energy is to change light bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

Learn more about CFLs and changes to federal lighting standards on the Chelan PUD website. You can also calculate your savings by switching to CFLs. Recycle used CFLs at PUD offices in Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Chelan.

A 72-watt halogen bulb gives off the same amount of light (lumens) as a 100-watt incandescent bulb.

Free CFLs available at Chelan County PUD 

If you missed out on getting free compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) from Chelan County PUD last year, you’ll have another chance this year. The PUD plans to distribute about 40,000 CFLs to customers who missed the opportunity in 2010.  

The 2011 distribution is planned for late summer. But customers interested in receiving the bulbs now can contact the PUD to make arrangements; call (509) 661-8008.  

There has been some confusion about new federal standards encouraging use of CFLs which go into effect in 2012.  Old-fashioned incandescent bulbs will soon disappear, but there is no outright ban. Congress enacted legislation – the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 – requiring manufacturers to develop light bulbs that produce the same amount of brightness (lumens) with less energy (watts). The more stringent standards mean incandescent light bulbs must become at least 28 percent more efficient. In other words, the everyday, 100-watt bulb will have to produce the same brightness by using 72 watts or less.  

CFLs are only one option. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting is becoming more popular and affordable. And an advanced 72-watt halogen incandescent has been developed that provides the same brightness while using less energy.  

Approximately 90 percent of the electricity used by traditional incandescent bulbs is wasted as heat instead of visible light. Replacing traditional incandescent bulbs with more efficient CFL, LED or halogen bulbs will save consumers money on energy while still offering the same amount of light.  

The new standard does not affect the existing supply of incandescent light bulbs stocked in retail stores or incandescent light bulbs already in use.  

The transition to new lighting standards will take place as follows:  

100 watts – January 1, 2012
75 watts – January 1, 2013
60 watts – January 1, 2014
40 watts – January 1, 2014  

A good discussion of the new standards and options for consumers is available on the Alliance to Save Energy website and at energysavers.gov.  

Related articles
Kiss your 100-watt light bulb goodbye (Yahoo)
Why the incandescent deserves its death (Home Energy Pros)
It’s lights out for old bulbs at Sears Canada (Montreal Gazette)

Contest winners Shirley and Richard Ehrenberg of Wenatchee

Richard and Shirley Ehrenberg of Wenatchee are the winners of Chelan County PUD’s Reduce Your Use Contest, dropping their wintertime energy consumption by 35 percent compared to previous years.

Second place goes to Tony and Laura Thompson of Wenatchee, who cut their electrical use by 24 percent. Taking third place are Nick and Jenn Brunner of Cashmere, who reduced their use by 23 percent.

Nine contestants competed in the contest to see who could reduce home energy use by the greatest percentage during the winter heating season of Jan. 1- March 31, 2011. All contestants saved energy. Overall savings averaged 19 percent. Total savings over the three months came to just under 20,000 kilowatt hours – just about enough to power a typical Chelan County home for one year.

A chart showing results for all contestants  is available on the PUD website here.

Mark Wiser, conservation program manager, said the contest showed that simple things such as sealing air leaks, caulking around windows and adding insulation can go a long way toward improving energy efficiency and increasing comfort in Chelan County homes.

The Ehrenbergs received a $500 gift certificate donated by Walmart. The Thompsons received a $250 gift certificate from Community Glass. The Brunners won a $100 gift certificate donated by Stan’s Merry Mart.

Winners were determined by looking at who saved the greatest percentage of energy from Jan. 1 – March 31 compared to the winter heating seasons of 2008-09 and 2009-10. Data analysis accounted for variations in temperatures and in the number of days between meter reads. Staff engineer Jim White used a linear correlation of prior energy use and average monthly temperatures for past winter heating seasons to determine the energy saved by the contestants during the past three months.

Before the three-month contest period, each contestant received a detailed home energy analysis. Each homeowner received a report with energy-saving recommendations. It was up to individual homeowners to decide how much they would spend on energy-efficiency measures, whether to do the work themselves, or to take any recommended actions at all.

Complete contest results — including videos featuring Wiser and the first- and second-place winners — are available on the PUD website. Check out the contestants’ savings, then hunt down yours!

Save on your purchase of CFLs now and save on your electric bills in the future.

PUD,  local stores part of regional program

Chelan County PUD is participating in a new regional program to bring savings on energy-efficiency products to consumers.

Customers will find prices already marked down on compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and indoor hard-wired fixtures at a dozen local retailers. Markdowns range from about 50 cents below suggested retail for general purpose CFLs to up to $7 on energy-saving showerheads. (Showerhead discounts are available only at Costco and Fred Meyer.)

Items available include:
• Twist CFLs – Regular Twists, Daylight Twists and A-Lamps
• Specialty CFLs – Reflectors, Globes, Candelabras, Torpedo Bulbs and Outdoor Lighting
• Fixtures – Indoor Hard-Wired Fixtures
• Showerheads – Those using 2.0 gallons per minute or less

On average, CFLs use 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer. Used CFLs can be recycled at Chelan County PUD offices, Home Depot and Lowes.

Calculate your potential energy savings  from switching to CFLs. Get help choosing the best lighting with Energy Star. And save on hot-water heating with low-flow showerheads.

Participating retailers are:
• Albertsons, 1128 N Miller, Wenatchee
• Bed Bath and Beyond, 511 Valley Mall Parkway, East Wenatchee
• BiMart, 780 Grant Road, East Wenatchee
• Costco, 375 Highline Drive S., East Wenatchee
• Fred Meyer, 11 Grant Road, East Wenatchee
• Home Depot, 1405 Maiden Lane, Wenatchee
• Lowes, 1200 Walla Walla Ave.
• Platt Electric, 1151 S. Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee
• Top Foods, 10 Grant Road, East Wenatchee
• True Value, 585 Wapato Way, Manson
• Walmart, 108 Apple Blossom Dr., Chelan
• Walmart, 2000 N. Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee

Chelan PUD customers: Bring your kids to the Wenatchee Valley Family Expo this weekend and pick up a free, energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulb. Find us at the Rocky Reach Visitor Center booth, where kids can turn a hand-crank generator to make electricity and practice being a Conservation Detective. The booth is located next to the Pacific Science Center’s planetarium.

The Expo is a family-oriented event at the Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee from noon to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26.

Can’t make it to the Expo? Twenty local retailers are offering discounted CFLs. Get the details on the PUD website here.