Lapp Electric Launches Plan to Give Away Free Light Bulbs
Did you know that saving money, energy and the environment is as easy as changing just one light bulb? In fact, if every one of the 110 million American households replaced one ordinary bulb with one Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people.
It’s for that very reason that Lapp Electric is joining national efforts to raise awareness in Lancaster County about the positive impact of the CFL bulb. The plan – put one CFL bulb into the hands of anyone who wants one – for free.
Lapp Electric kicked off its Change One Bulb. Make a Better World campaign October 19th at the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Business Expo held at F&M Alumni Sports & Fitness Center. The outreach starts with Lancaster County businesses and ends with homeowners. When business owners register to join the Lapp campaign, employees of the registered businesses are given the chance to register to receive a free CFL bulb. The energy-saving bulb is then delivered to the employee’s place of business as is a Lapp VIP card good for 10% off any residential electrical projects done in the next year. There is an added incentive for those business owners who sign up for the program before December 15, 2006 – a chance to win a 42” Plasma TV.
For Lapp, who was already incorporating energy-saving bulbs into industrial customers like Berk-Tek, the idea of helping homeowners make a difference was a natural fit. “We’re not in the business of selling light bulbs, but we’ve done a lot of research about the impact the CFL can have in terms of saving energy,” says Tim Lapp. “One of the best ways we can share that knowledge is to put these bulbs into the hands of homeowners and let them see for themselves.”
Lapp turned to GE and Yale Electric to help kick-start the campaign. “When we explained what we wanted to do and why, both companies were quick to lend support by donating a portion of the bulbs we are handing out,” explained Greg Lapp. “Using the Business Expo as our launching pad was ideal because we were able to instantly gauge the business community’s interest in our program.” And the interest was strong. By the close of the expo, more than 55 businesses had signed up to be part of the program.
Lapp’s efforts tie to national efforts seen by retail giants like Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowe’s. Talk of the environmental benefits of the CFL bulb has also found its way onto Oprah, The Today Show and in November’s issue of Better Homes and Gardens. Wal-Mart put the CFL to the test by converting all the bulbs in its ceiling fan display in each of its 3,230 stores. The result: a savings of $6 million in energy costs in one year.
Lapp Electrical Service, Inc. has been serving homeowners and businesses in Lancaster County since 1969 by providing electrical, voice and data services. For more information about Lapp and its services visit http://www.lappelectric.com
Additional background:
Incandescent bulbs and the CFL, or spiral bulb as they are sometimes called, make light in entirely different ways. The difference is what makes the CFL so potent. In a fluorescent bulb, the glass tube is filled with gas and a tiny dot of mercury. Electricity leaps off electrodes on either end of the tube and excites the mercury molecules. When excited, the mercury molecules emit ultraviolet light. The invisible UV light strikes the bulb’s phosphor coating, which then gets excited and emits visible light.
In a classic 60-watt incandescent bulb, light comes from the little metal filaments quivering inside the sealed glass bulb. Electricity passes through the metal threads, heating it to 2,300 degrees Celsius. When the filament glows due to the heat, it produces light. The heat of the bulb is about 300 degrees or three times greater than the CFL.
A traditional bulb makes 15 lumens per watt; a 60-watt bulb shines 900 lumens. In a CFL bulb, you get 60 lumens per watt. To get 900 lumens (the light you would expect from a 60-watt bulb) you need only 15 watts. A 60-watt classic bulb and a 15-watt CFL bulb give off the same amount of light – the CFL just does it with fewer watts.
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