Seattle City Light has added several light-emitting diode (LED) products to its Twist & Save discount program for energy efficient light bulbs and fixtures.
Through the program, City Light offers up to a $10 instant discount on select ENERGY STAR® qualified LED light bulbs and fixtures, in addition to discounts already offered on compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL).
ENERGY STAR® qualified LED bulbs are the most energy efficient lights you can buy, using 80 percent less energy while producing the same light output as a traditional incandescent bulb. Additionally, ENERGY STAR LED bulbs have a life span of about 25,000 hours compared to incandescent bulbs which last only up to 1,000 hours. That translates to more than 22 years for an LED and less than a year for an incandescent, assuming 3 hours of use a day.
“Our customers have been telling us how much they like the new LED bulbs, but the higher initial cost has limited sales,” City Light Conservation Resources Director Glenn Atwood said. “Twist & Save discounts are designed to help people overcome the initial price barriers on emerging energy efficient technologies. We’re happy to now be able to offer them on a select number of LED products.”
There are many LED bulbs out on the market, however Seattle City Light is providing an instant discount only on frequently used bulbs such as the traditional A-lamp, reflector type bulb and PAR bulbs, that have the same brightness (lumen output) of an incandescent and which are dimmable.
Currently, Seattle City Light LED discounts are offered at seven local retailers: Bartell Drugs, Burien Ace, Costco, Home Depot, Mobile Electric, Sam’s Club and Pacific Supply. Traditional A-lamp 60 watt replacements are carried at Bartell Drugs, Costco, Home Depot and Pacific Supply. Residential customers may purchase a maximum of 10 LED bulbs and 4 LED recessed can fixtures. Discounted products are designated with the Seattle City Light logo.
The marketplace for LEDs is advancing rapidly. Two years ago there were few LED screw-in bulbs that matched the incandescent for light quality and output. Furthermore, LEDs were expensive – as much as $40 per bulb. This year, the average price of a 60 watt equivalent LED bulb is $25. As quality, variety and costs continue to improve, Seattle City Light expects to add more LED products to the Twist & Save program in upcoming months.
Which bulb should you buy?
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) still offer the most value for the dollar. The cost of a CFL, after Seattle City Light’s instant discount, is less than $1 per bulb, while an LED is approximately $10 to $15 after the discount. While an LED lasts much longer, the annual savings over a CFL is marginal. However, an LED does have a host of benefits that make it superior to a CFL. Those benefits include: no mercury, no ultraviolet output, longer life and therefore fewer bulbs to replace, ability to dim at lower levels, and better performance in cold temperature environments.
Twist & Save discounts are applied instantly at the cash register when a customer makes a purchase. Seattle City Light will be hosting several outreach events at a number of retail partner locations to promote energy-efficient lighting and help answer customer questions about lighting choices:
- April 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Sam’s Club, 13550 Aurora Ave. N
- April 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Home Depot, 2701 Utah Ave. S
- April 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Home Depot, 7345 Delridge Way SW
- April 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Bartell Drugs, 1929 Queen Anne Ave.
For more information about Seattle City Light’s discount and a list of participating retailers, visit www.seattle.gov/twistandsave .
Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to nearly 1 million Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.