An illuminating initiative from the White House
Does replacing the light bulbs in your house with more energy-efficient bulbs really make a difference?
According to Brian F. Keane, President of SmartPower, “Seven percent of all energy consumed in the nation is a result of our lighting needs, and 40 percent is consumed by residential and commercial buildings.” Recently, President Obama has announced a plan to make major changes in energy conservation for household and commercial lighting, with a commitment to spend $346 million on building efficiency efforts. This amount of money is small change when taking into consideration the $4 billion in annual savings. The president’s lighting order will avoid the emission of up to 594 million tons of CO2 from 2012 through 2042 (equal to removing 166 million cars from the road each year). It will also save enough electricity to power every home in America for up to ten months.
With initiatives like this, Americans who look forward to a sustainable future can breathe easier. You may not think changing the light-bulb in your lamp makes a difference, but what if everyone does it? What if everyone drove a little bit less, purchased produce locally every now and then, or took a canvas bag to the grocery store instead of wasting ‘paper’ and ‘plastic’ for the five minute drive home? We’d all be better off economically, socially and intellectually.
Tags: light bulbs, President Obama, SmartPower