EarthTimes.org (Bellevue, WA): PSE Backed Magician Makes Energy-Hungry Light Bulbs Disappear into Thin Air!

Posted October 5, 2009 by OneChange

What: Puget Sound Energy and Sound Transit are partnering to remind riders about energy conservation during October, which is ENERGY STAR®’s Energy Awareness Month. PSE will give away energy-saving compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to Sound Transit riders during the morning commute as part of PSE’s Rock the Bulb™ campaign.

When: Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 7 to 11 a.m.

Where: Downtown Bellevue Transit Center, 10850 N.E. Sixth Street, Bellevue

Media Visuals:

A PSE backed magician will perform tricks that highlight energy-saving light bulbs at the Downtown Bellevue Transit Center, as Sound Transit passengers board commuter buses.

The magician will then ride the 564/565 bus routes through South King County, continuing the light bulb legerdemain (show of skill) while giving free CFLs to passengers on-board and at stations in Renton, Kent, and Auburn.

PSE Rock the Bulb volunteers will hand out energy conservation information to Sound Transit passengers in support of ENERGY STAR®’s Energy Awareness Month.

Why:

* The CFL bulbs distributed through PSE’s Rock the Bulb Tour will save $2.5 million in combined energy costs each year.
* Lighting accounts for up to 20 percent of the average home’s energy consumption and using more efficient products can lower household energy bills.
* ENERGY STAR qualified CFL bulbs use up to 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs while providing the same amount of light.
* The CFL bulbs distributed through PSE’s Rock the Bulb Tour will prevent the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking almost 2,000 cars off the road.

Background:

* PSE’s Rock the Bulb Tour -- Unplugged events are part of an innovative effort this summer and fall to promote home energy efficiency across PSE’s electric service area. It includes these components:
o PSE’s Rock the Bulb Tour – Unplugged: Sixteen weekend bulb exchange events held throughout PSE’s Western Washington service area. PSE is offering residential electric customers a choice of six different types of CFLs, in a first-of-its-kind event. Remaining events will take place in Auburn, Puyallup, Lacey and Olympia.
o Project Porchlight Puget Sound: PSE is distributing 275,000 free ENERGY STAR qualified CFL bulbs directly to customers through door-to-door volunteers and community event outreach. For event dates or to sign-up to volunteer, visit porchlight.org.
* Since the Tour kicked off in July 2009, PSE has exchanged nearly 350,000 incandescent bulbs for CFL bulbs, an energy savings of more than 80 million kWh or $15 million in energy bills over the life of the bulbs.

For more information, visit rockthebulb.pse.com, follow us on Twitter: @PSERockthebulb, email rockthebulb@pse.com or call 1-888-362-0363.

About Puget Sound Energy

Washington state’s oldest local energy utility, Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and nearly 750,000 natural gas customers in 11 counties. A subsidiary of Puget Energy, PSE meets the energy needs of its growing customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service and delivering energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible. For more information, visit www.PSE.com.

Puget Sound Energy
Rebekah Anderson, 1-888-831-7250