Acton selected as site for festive lights swap

Nov 14th, 2007 11:12 AM

For Immediate Release Attention News/Lifestyle Reporters and Editors Acton selected as site for festive lights swap - old seasonal lights for new energy efficient SLEDs (Ottawa, Nov. 14, 2007) Acton is one of 28 communities across Ontario where residents will visit local retailers to swap their inefficient holiday lights for something safer and more sustainable: seasonal LED (SLED) light strings. This will happen on Sunday, November 18th at the Home Hardware store located at 362 Queen Street East, from 10 am to 2 pm. This SLED exchange is just one of the Ontario Power Authority's (OPA) Every Kilowatt Counts campaign projects. The OPA is working with One Change (the non-profit organization that runs the Project Porchlight campaign) to help Ontario residents plan a greener holiday season by replacing their old incandescent holiday lights with energy-efficient LEDs, indoors and out. One Change will coordinate the OPA's SLED light exchanges. At each event, the first 500 people to turn in a string of old incandescent lights for recycling will receive an OPA coupon valid for a free second string of LED lights when they purchase a string at the regular price. "We're excited to see people embracing energy-efficient seasonal lights," said Stuart Hickox, Executive Director of One Change. "People see that, for a small up-front cost, they can conserve energy and save a lot of money in electricity costs by swapping their old, energy-wasting lights with something far more efficient and every bit as festive." Although SLEDs cost more up front than the older-style light strings, they pay for themselves in electricity savings in two seasons or less. One 70-bulb string of traditional, incandescent lights can cost up to ten dollars to power each season, whereas the same size string of SLEDs uses only about 33 cents worth of electricity per season. SLEDS use 97% less electricity than traditional incandescent seasonal light strings--using only 0.05 watts of electricity per bulb. Shatterproof, shock-resistant SLEDs are more sustainable in other ways too. They last up to 100 times longer (200,000 hours compared to 1,000 hours for a traditional string). They are also safer to use than incandescent holiday lights--since they produce very little heat, they are cool to the touch and greatly reduce the risk of fire. WHEN: Sunday, November 18th, 2007, from 10 am to 2 pm WHERE: Acton Home Hardware, 362 Queen Street East, Acton, Ontario -30- For more details or to arrange an interview, please contact: Manon Crôteau, Project Porchlight, 1-866-585-6359, 613-263-0403 or manononechangeorg About Project Porchlight Project Porchlight is a campaign run by One Change, a small not-for-profit group with a big idea: to show Canadians how anyone can use less electricity, save on rising energy costs, and help make the planet a nicer place for our children. Project Porchlight's goal is to get every household in Canada to make that first change and replace one old-fashioned, inefficient incandescent to an energy-efficient CFL bulb. www.projectporchlight.com About the Ontario Power Authority In pursuit of its mandate of ensuring an adequate, long-term supply of electricity for Ontario, the OPA creates and implements conservation and demand management programs, ensures adequate investment in new supply infrastructure, performs long-term electricity system planning, and facilitates the development of a more sustainable and competitive electricity system.