CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Saving money and energy can be as simple as the twist of an ENERGY STAR(R)-qualified compact fluorescent light bulb. It's a quick and easy solution to lowering utility bills in addition to saving energy and protecting the environment.
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From Oct. 1 through Nov. 30, 2006, Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy are encouraging Iowa residents to change the world one light, one step at a time by replacing their home's five most frequently used light fixtures, or the bulbs in them, with ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs.
MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy are helping their electric customers in Iowa make the simple switch to energy-efficient lighting by offering $2 instant cash-back rebates on ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light bulb purchases of 12 bulbs or less.
With the instant rewards, the bulbs will sell for as little as $0.99 at participating retail stores across the state. Participating retail stores include Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Hardware Hank, Menards, Mills Fleet Farm, Theisen's, True Value, Trustworthy Hardware, Hy-Vee Food Stores, and many other independent hardware stores.
This joint utility effort is part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy's national ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World campaign. This is the second year the program has been offered in Iowa.
Retailers, customers and utility representatives considered the 2005 campaign a success.
-- More than 335 retailers located throughout Iowa participated in the
campaign.
-- 397,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs were purchased by 90,000 Iowa
residents
-- Electrical energy savings of over 173,000,000 kilowatt hours will be
realized over the life of the compact fluorescent light bulbs, the
equivalent of $11 million in savings off electric bills and preventing
over 183,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
In the average home, the most frequently used lighting fixtures are in the living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom and master bathroom. Each ENERGY STAR-qualified bulb uses up to 75 percent less energy than a typical incandescent light bulb. By switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs a household can save more than $60 a year in energy costs.
For more information about the Change a Light, Change the World program, call 1-800-339-6856 or visit http://www.alliantenergy.com/lightbulb or http://www.midamericanenergy.com/cfl .
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. For more information, visit http://www.energystar.gov/ .
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