News Releases

April 16, 2007

Traditional incandescent, halogen lamps will be exchanged for energy-efficient fluorescent ones.

PALM DESERT, Calif., April 16, 2007 – As part of the Energy Conservation Fair set for this weekend, Southern California Edison (SCE) will be offering its residential customers the opportunity to exchange their traditional incandescent or halogen lamps for new, energy-efficient Energy Star® fluorescent lamps.

 Coinciding with Earth Day observances, SCE’s lamp exchange will occur at Saturday’s and Sunday’s event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the College of the Desert, 43500 Monterey Ave.  Customers must display an SCE bill or California driver’s license to qualify.  There is a limit of six lamps and four night lights per household while quantities last.  More information on the lamp exchange, including the types of lamps being offered, is available at www.scelampexchange.com.

“We’re encouraging Edison customers to take advantage of this opportunity to save money and energy while helping the environment,” said Lin Juniper, public affairs region manager for SCE.  “The free lamps are of quality construction and are among the most energy-efficient products on the market.  Engineered exclusively for fluorescent bulbs, they use 70 to 80 percent less energy and last 13 times longer.  A new compact fluorescent light bulb is included with every lamp.”

The energy fair will feature utilities and exhibitors offering energy-conservation tips, energy-efficiency products, solar-energy demonstrations, opportunities to sign up for incentive programs, and more.  The fair is sponsored by SCE, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, the Building Industry Association-Desert Chapter, and Southern California Gas Co.

Customers also can sign up for SCE’s Summer Discount Plan, which can provide up to $200 in bill credits on a customer’s summer electricity bills in return for allowing SCE to interrupt their air conditioner during power-supply emergencies.  The program only turns off the designated air conditioner and leaves on the power for lights, fans, cooking, entertainment, and other appliances.  Customers enrolling in the program by April 30 will receive a complimentary card from Starbucks worth $20.

SCE leads the nation in electric energy-efficiency savings.  During the past five years, SCE customers have saved more than 4 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh)—enough energy to power 500,000 homes for an entire year—by participating in the utility’s energy-efficiency programs, and reduced greenhouse gas emission by more than 2 million tons—the equivalent of removing 250,000 cars from the road.  SCE’s customers achieved an estimated energy savings of about 3.5 billion kWh annually through these programs.

Just last week, SCE proposed the distribution of 1 million free compact fluorescent light bulbs to help low-income families reduce their lighting costs. The proposal requires the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission.

Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded the utility the agencies’ 2007 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award in the program delivery category.  It was the sixth time SCE has received an EPA and DOE award for the effectiveness of its energy-efficiency programs.

More information on SCE’s energy-efficiency offers is available at www.sce.com or at  800-655-4555.

Top U.S. Utility Energy-Efficiency Programs, 1992 to 2005
Savings shown in megawatt-hours (MWh) or thousands of kWh. 

Source--US Dept. of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861.  An average home served by SCE uses approximately 7,000 kWh of electricity per year.

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An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of more than 13 million via 4.7 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within central, coastal and Southern California.