Give the gift of energy efficiency this Christmas

Compact fluorescent light bulbs a smart, practical and important gift

Elk River, Minn -- Still searching for the perfect gift for that hard-to-shop-for person? Why not fill their stocking with a package of compact fluorescent light bulbs, says Great River Energy. The Elk River-based electric generation and transmission company is encouraging its member cooperative customers to give energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) as a thoughtful and practical gift this year.

“CFLs are the kind of product that both makes a great gift, as well as being practical by saving energy and money for those who receive it,” said Gary Connett, manager of member services and demand-side management at Great River Energy.

“Each CFL that replaces a traditional light bulb can save up to $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb and lasts up to 10 times longer than a regular light bulb,” said Connett. Each bulb can also reduce the amount of emissions from power plants by nearly 450 pounds, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“It’s kind of ironic that you’d be giving someone something that would take a lump of coal OUT of their stocking,” noted Connett.

Other CFL facts:
-If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR-rated CFL, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.

CFLs are available at most retailers that sell regular light bulbs and cost just a bit more. More information on CFLs is available at www.energystar.gov.