Sierra Pacific Power Company is partnering with The Home Depot and lighting manufacturer TCP to bring inexpensive energy efficient lighting to northern Nevada residents. The ENERGY STAR Lighting Campaign is designed to promote the economic and environmental benefits of ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

Introduced in 1992 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a voluntary labeling program to identify and promote energy efficient products, today ENERGY STAR is a government/industry partnership that offers businesses and consumers a variety of energy-efficient solutions.

"CFLs are more energy efficient and last longer than standard halogen or incandescent bulbs,"said John Hargrove, senior program manager for energy efficiency and conservation at Sierra Pacific. "CFLs use around 65 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than standard, less efficient bulbs and are cool to the touch, making them less of a fire or safety hazard."

According to ENERGY STAR'S Web site (www.energystar.gov), ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use less energy and cause less pollution than incandescent bulbs, providing the same amount of light at a lower wattage.  In fact, according to ENERGY STAR, if every household in the United States replaced a typical incandescent or halogen bulb with an approved CFL bulb, the reduction in air pollution would be equivalent to removing one million cars from the nation's highways.

"Customers who use CFLs can experience significant savings,” Hargrove said. “Each CFL bulb that is exchanged for a standard bulb can represent up to $30 in savings over the life of the bulb."

As part of the ENERGY STAR Lighting Campaign, which runs through April 30, all of The Home Depot stores in northern Nevada are offering discounts on the following ENERGY STAR qualified CFL products under the Commercial Electric brand provided by TCP:

• 6-packs of 60-watt replacement lamps
• 4-packs of 100-watt replacement lamps
• 4-packs of 65-watt replacement flood lamps
• 4-packs of 90-watt replacement flood lamps

Sierra Pacific representatives will be on hand to discuss energy conservation and ENERGY STAR products on Saturday, March 18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Home Depot in Sparks, located on Galleria Parkway.  For more information, please call Felicia Gerz at (775) 750-9758.