From Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2006, AmerenUE and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources are encouraging Missouri residents to ??Change the World?? one light bulb, 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 CFLs. In the average home, the most frequently used fixtures are: kitchen ceiling dome light, living room table lamp, living room floor lamp, bathroom vanity light and outdoor porch or post lamp. By making this change, a household can save more than $60 a year in energy costs.
The program is being held in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy??s (DOE) national ??ENERGY STAR?? Change a Light, Change the World?? campaign. AmerenUE and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources are helping Missouri residents make the simple switch to energy efficient lighting by offering instant rebates on ENERGY STAR??- qualified CFL purchases of six or less.
With the instant rebates, the CFLs will sell for as little as $0.99 each at Home Depots in the St Louis metropolitan area and select Ace Hardware stores throughout Missouri.
??Committing to change the world takes less time and energy than you might think. In fact, it can start with simply changing a light,?? said Wendy Reed of the ENERGY STAR?? program [at the U.S. EPA].
AmerenUE has supported the ??Change a Light, Change the World?? program in Missouri since 2003. Since then, people throughout the company??s service area have purchased 180,000 compact fluorescent bulbs under this rebate program. Another 81,000 bulbs are available for the rebate program this year.
??Organizations like AmerenUE are an important part of the ENERGY STAR?? ??Change a Light, Change the World?? community. Their commitment to helping us spread the word about ENERGY STAR?? and their dedication to bettering the environment for Missouri residents makes them a perfect partner for this program,?? said Reed.
Not only do ENERGY STAR??-qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy than typical incandescent light bulbs, but CFLs last up to 10 times longer, making frequent changes of hard-to-reach light bulbs a thing of the past. Consumers will be surprised at how bright and warm the light is and how little time they will spend replacing the energy efficient CFLs.
??Our goal with this program is to increase customer awareness of energy efficient lighting and to encourage the use of these products for homes and businesses,?? said AmerenUE Senior Vice President-Missouri Energy Delivery Richard Mark. ??Changing a light bulb is so simple, but it has a big impact on our utility bills, our energy consumption and the quality of our air and water. If every household in Missouri replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL, it would reduce the state??s annual electricity consumption by more than 144 million kilowatt-hours ?X enough to light 14,484 homes.??
Lighting products that are ENERGY STAR??-qualified also offer extra safety and convenience features. CFLs generate approximately 70 percent less heat than standard incandescent lighting, which means they are cooler to the touch while helping reduce household cooling costs. With the wide variety of CFL shapes, sizes and styles available, energy efficient lighting can be used throughout the home.
??Most people want to do their part to help the environment but don??t know where to start.?? Reed says ??Choosing ENERGY STAR??-qualified lighting for the home is a simple way to save time, energy and money and help protect our environment for future generations.??
For more information about the ??Change a Light, Change the World?? campaign, call 888-476-9548 or visit www.mwalliance.org/cal2006. For information about the Missouri Change a Light campaign, visit www.ameren.com.
About AmerenUE
AmerenUE is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation and is Missouri??s largest electric utility and third largest distributor of natural gas. AmerenUE operates nine power plants and provides energy services to 1.1 million electric customers and 125,000 natural gas customers in eastern Missouri, including the St. Louis area. For more information, visit www.ameren.com.
About the Missouri Department of Natural Resources
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources preserves, protects, restores and enhances Missouri??s natural, cultural, and energy resources and works to inspire their enjoyment and responsible use for present and future generations. For more information, visit www.dnr.mo.gov.
About the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) is a regional network of organizations collaborating to promote energy efficiency. MEEA??s vision is to be a leader in raising and sustaining the level of energy efficiency in the Midwest region by fostering increased market penetration of existing energy efficient technologies and promoting new technologies, products and best practices, including renewable energy.
MEEA??s goal is to provide a collective voice at a national and regional level; act as a clearinghouse to identify, evaluate and create successful programs and market assessments for the region; and foster communication on effective energy policy. Formed in 1999, MEEA??s strategy is to develop innovative programs that achieve measurable and verifiable results.
About ENERGY STAR??
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 www.energystar.gov.
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