The Long Island Power Authority Helps Long Island Light Up the Holidays Efficiently

Uniondale, NY-November 15, 2007-Along with the joy holiday lights bring to the season, they can also bring added costs to your energy bill when used in abundance.  This year save energy and money by purchasing energy-efficient Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) lighting strands to decorate your home or business.

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) is providing a $2 rebate to customers who purchase LEDs for their holiday decorations. (The rebate program runs through December 31st, 2007.)

“Long Island homes can be festive while saving energy, if LED lights are used”, said Kevin S. Law LIPA President and CEO.  “At a time when energy consumption and global warming have become a priority in the public’s eye, using LED lights is an easy solution that is good for us and our environment. LIPA would like to encourage the move to these highly efficient lights by offering a rebate for the purchase of LED lights this holiday season.”

LIPA’s rebate program is part of LIPA’s Clean Energy Initiative (CEI), which is a 10-year, $355-million commitment to promote clean, renewable electric generation technologies, energy conservation and efficiency.

LED holiday lights use significantly less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs. For example, the energy cost of lighting 600 LED bulbs five hours per day for 30 days is approximately 56 cents. By comparison, the same number of incandescent bulbs utilized over the same period of time would use almost $23 of electricity.

LED holiday lights are available in a wide range of styles and colors and can be purchased in strings from 50 to 250 bulbs. LED’s are simply tiny light bulbs that fit easily into an electric circuit. Unlike ordinary incandescent bulbs, they do not have a filament that will burn out, and they do not get hot. They are illuminated solely by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material. LED’s are also easy to use. Up to 25 strings of LED lights can be strung together without overloading the typical household circuit.

In addition, LED lighting will save energy for years to come. LED’s can last between 50,000 and 100,000 hours, whereas conventional incandescent light bulbs have a lifespan of around 1,500 hours.

Keep The Holidays Safe By Following These Safety Tips When Planning Holiday Lighting:

* Before stringing outdoor lights, check for overhead power lines. Don’t place yourself or any object in a position where you or it may come in contact with a power line - the result can be fatal.
* Make sure lights used to decorate the outside of the house are approved for outdoor use. Never use indoor lights outdoors.
* If stringing lights on outdoor trees, make sure tree limbs haven’t grown into or near power lines. Branches or entire trees can become energized if they contact a power line.
* Check all light strands for cracked or broken plugs, frayed insulation, or bare wires. Worn cords can cause fires. Discard damaged sets of lights.
* Route cords inside your home so they won’t trip anyone. Don’t place them under rugs, furniture, or other appliances. If covered, cords can overheat or become frayed and can cause a fire.
*  Use no more than three sets of lights on a single extension cord, to prevent overheating.
* Turn Christmas lights off during the day or when you are away or when you are asleep. Timers are a simple way to do this and also are a safety measure since lights can cause fires if not used properly. For safety’s sake: Always unplug your lights before going to bed or leaving home.
* Protect little fingers: Make sure there’s a bulb in each socket. If a bulb is burned out, leave it in until you have a replacement.
* To prevent electrical shock, never use electric decorations on artificial trees with metallic needles, leaves, or branches. Instead, place colored spotlights above or beside the tree-never attached to it. Make sure artificial trees are flame retardant.
* Take the lights down after the holidays! No need to light up the night until spring!
* Use timers to limit holiday light displays to no more than six evening hours per day to curb energy use and costs, and to avoid having to remember to turn them on and off every day. Leaving lights on 24-hours a day will quadruple your energy costs - and create four times the pollution.
* Think about pet safety too.  Keep lights and extension cords away from pets.

To learn more about LIPA’s CEI and electric safety programs, visit LIPA’s Web site at http://www.lipower.org.

LIPA, a non-profit municipal electric utility, owns the retail electric Transmission and Distribution System on Long Island and provides electric service to more than 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens.  LIPA is the 2nd largest municipal electric utility in the nation in terms of electric revenues, 3rd largest in terms of customers served and the 7th largest in terms of electricity delivered.  In 2006, LIPA outperformed all other overhead electric utilities in New York State in all three major reliability categories.  LIPA does not provide natural gas service or own any on-island generating assets. More information about LIPA can be found online at: http://www.lipower.org.

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LIPA Contact Information:
Media Relations: (516) 222-7700
Media Pager: (516) 525-LIPA
media.relations@lipower.org

LIPA CEI
www.lipower.org/cei

LIPA News Center
www.lipower.org/newscenter