Lighten Your Power Bill

Local households could switch on to $500 of power savings each over the next few years by taking up an energy efficient lightbulb deal. Hastings and Napier households and businesses are being offered another chance to buy heavily subsidised energy efficient lightbulbs.

The Hawke’s Bay Power Consumers’ Trust, with the support of the Electricity Commission, is giving all consumers the chance to buy 5 “Ecobulbs” for only $10 and save up to $500 over the life of the bulbs.

Next week all households and businesses connected to Unison’s Hawke’s Bay lines network will receive a personalised envelope containing a voucher entitling them to buy these bulbs. Vouchers are redeemable at any New World, Pak ‘N Save, or Four Square store in Hastings and Napier. Additional bulbs can be bought for $3.95 during the campaign, compared with the normal price of $5.95. The bulbs are available in both screw and bayonet fittings and are guaranteed for 2 years.

Ecobulbs use latest technology and have an average life of 9 years based on an average usage of 3 hours per day. To some people the older style energy efficient bulbs were not as bright as traditional bulbs and that they took a long time to get to full brightness. Not with these Ecobulbs. They are high quality and provide a similar light to normal incandescent lightbulbs and reach maximum light in only a few seconds. An Ecobulb only uses around 20% of the power of a normal bulb, and it lasts up to 10 times longer.

The Trust ran a similar subsidised campaign in 2003 and nearly 40,000 bulbs were sold then. That was a hugely successful campaign but as those bulbs had a life expectancy of 3 years it is now time to offer our consumers another opportunity to purchase these new bulbs. The bulbs are one of two brands recommended last year by the Consumers’ Institute.

For 2006 the Trust aims to sell 100,000 Ecobulbs over the six weeks from 6 November until 17 December. That number of bulbs, used in place of old incandescent bulbs, has potential to save every household and business $500 over their nine-year life. This amounts to $100 for each bulb, and collectively there is $10,000,000 to be saved over that nine year period. Yes, $10 million saved off our power bills.

The Trust is putting in $100,000 towards the campaign, and the three supermarket chains are discounting the bulbs so we can offer the “5 for $10” deal. The Electricity Commission is also financially supporting the project.

The Hawke’s Bay Power Consumers’ Trust “pioneered” the energy efficient lighting campaigns which have now spread throughout New Zealand. It began with our 2003 project, which was the brainchild of Trustee Ann Dixon. Ann saw great potential for our consumers to conserve energy at the time of the power crisis in the Winter of that year. It did help at the time too.

For New Zealand, the savings nationwide are huge. The Electricity Commission is committed to getting 3 million energy saving bulbs installed in New Zealand homes by July 2007 as part of the current nationwide programme. That will save consumers about $45 million annually in power bills. It also reduces peak load on the distribution system and assists in complementing the country’s electricity generation. Over their lifetime, the cumulative effect of 3 million energy saving bulbs will save enough electricity to power 30,000 houses for one year and would save enough electricity to prevent the emissions of 170,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to taking 40,000 vehicles per year off the road. This is pretty impressive stuff.

Energy efficient lighting facts and figures

• Lighting makes up about 10% of a typical household power use

• High quality energy efficient lightbulbs use only 20% of the power of traditional bulbs

• They last up to 10 times longer

The lightbulb campaign is another great deal for Hastings and Napier consumers, who only two weeks ago received a cheque for $80 from the Trust as their share of Trust ownership in Unison Networks Limited.