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HOLIDAY LIGHTS: YOU CAN DAZZLE AND STILL BE "GREEN" |
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Do you have a question for BWL Q CORNER? E-MAIL: mailto:mdn@lbwl.com FAX: (517) 702-6855 MAIL: Lansing Board of Water & Light Communications Department 1232 Haco Dr., P.O. Box 13007 Lansing MI 48901. |
Depending on how extravagant you get, all of those lighted displays can rack up significant energy costs. For example: One 5-foot tree with two strands of outdoor lights will cost a BWL customer about one dollar more a month. One dollar isn’t a great deal to some people, but start adding lighted reindeer, icicle lights, more strands of tree lights … you begin to get the picture. There is another way – a “greener” way. Consider Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights. LEDs are the wave of the future in lighting, and not just for holidays. While LEDs are more expensive than traditional holiday lighting, their payback to you and to the environment make LEDs an attractive option. Consider: n LEDs can last up to 50,000 hours or longer, compared to 2,000 hours for a typical incandescent light. n An LED uses just 10 percent of the electricity that an incandescent bulb does. For a typical household, LED holiday lighting can save $20 or more in a month’s time. Plus, it benefits the environment by requiring less electricity be produced by power plants. n LEDs are considered safer because they are cool to the touch. They can reduce the risk of holiday fires. n LEDs are tough. They won’t rust. They have solid epoxy lenses. High-quality LED lights can withstand the force of a tractor-trailer without breaking. And you no longer have to worry about one bad light bulb “blacking out” an entire strand. In short, LEDs are a way of giving yourself, and the environment, a “green” gift this holiday season. Now Accepting Old CFLs The Lansing Board of Water & Light is pleased to announce a new recycling service for our customers. The BWL will ensure proper disposal if you bring spent CFLs to our Customer Service Center, 1232 Haco Drive, Lansing. CFLs contain a tiny amount of mercury, and should not be discarded in household trash. We ask that you double-bag the CFL in sealable plastic bags. This is an “insurance policy,” preventing mercury exposure in case the CFL is broken in transit. Our Customer Service Department is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call (517) 702-6006 with questions. |
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Hunger isn't a holiday 'event' The holiday season is a time when people frequently think about giving to the Greater Lansing Food Bank. We urge our customers to mark their new 2008 calendar, and consider giving to the food bank AFTER the holidays. As food bank officials often point out, some of the leanest times for area food pantries are in the late winter months, when donations decline. Yet, the need never declines. More than 4,400 people each month are served in this community through donations to the food bank. Please think of this need in the post-holiday weeks and months. We are proud to say that Lansing Board of Water & Light employees again came through during our second annual Stuff the Truck food drive. The one-day drive in October yielded more than two tons of food, which was donated to a local food pantry. In addition, the BWL purchased more than 400 pounds of frozen turkeys that were delivered to area homeless shelters. “As Michigan’s fragile economy continues to struggle, human service agencies are experiencing greater-than-ever demands,” General Manager J. Peter Lark said. “That includes our local food pantries. Stuff the Truck is the Board of Water & Light’s way of pitching in to help others in need.” |
The clock is winding down on federal energy-efficiency tax credits. December 31, 2007, is the last day that you can claim these credits for purchases such as air conditioners, storm windows, furnaces and heat pumps. It’s important to know what qualifies for these federal tax credits. Appliances, windows, etc. must have the ENERGY STARŪ label. Note: Not all ENERGY STARŪ products qualify for tax credits. The ENERGY STARŪ Web site is a great place to learn what products are eligible for tax credits. Go to: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product. If you’re planning on major appliance purchases or energy-efficient upgrades to your home, now may be the time to buy – in time for claiming federal tax credits.
If a medical emergency exists in your home or requires medical equipment dependent on electric and/or water, we ask that you contact the BWL Customer Service Department at (517) 702-6006. We will mail you a form to be filled out by your physician. Once the completed form is returned to the BWL, we will tag your meter to designate there is a medical priority at the residence. We also will work with our customers who have a medical emergency tag on their meter and who may be behind on their bills.
The BWL maintains and annually updates a list so that we are aware of
customers whose medical needs could be affected by |
Part
of the holiday season's magic is all the bright lights and displays
adorning people's homes and lawns.
Medical
Priority residences need to be in our files