Con Edison Shines Light on Convenience in Energy-Saving Bulb Program
Company Offers New Scheduling Tool for Residential Customers, Expands Selection of Free Energy Efficient Bulbs
Con Edison residential customers in parts of Brooklyn and Queens can now go online to schedule a visit from a contractor who will install money-saving light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs in their homes at no charge.
A customer who enters an account number and other basic information into the online form on the company’s website can select a date and time for installation. A customer who does not know the account number can enter other simple information and get a call from a representative to set up an appointment.
“This program shows that even a step as simple as changing lighting can save energy and money,” said Vicki Kuo, Con Edison’s vice president of Energy Efficiency programs. “We’re trying to make it even easier by letting customers go online to arrange a visit and by increasing the types of bulbs we offer.”
The company earlier this year added several neighborhoods to the list of areas where residential customers can get free LEDs.
The program now covers these neighborhoods in Brooklyn: Greenpoint, East Williamsburg, Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Brownsville, East New York, Cypress Hills, Williamsburg, Park Slope and Prospect Park. It also covers parts of Fort Greene, Prospect Heights and South Slope.
In Queens, customers in these neighborhoods are eligible: Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, Broad Channel, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Woodhaven and Kew Gardens.
Con Edison will provide LEDs to replace either incandescent or compact fluorescent bulbs for customers. The installers will not install bulbs in places such as attics, basements and closets.
The lighting experts look at each fixture and determine whether it can accommodate an LED. The program provides LEDs for various kinds of lamps, wall sconces, chandeliers and other applications.
The LED program began in 2016 as part of Con Edison’s Neighborhood Program in which the company works with customers to reduce their usage and defer the need for infrastructure upgrades while keeping service reliable.
The LED program has been highly successful. Con Edison has provided more than 650,000 bulbs to 32,000 customers. Those bulbs have reduced the need for power at peak times by 4,800 kilowatts and saved 29.3 million kilowatt hours.
The greenhouse gas emissions avoided by the energy savings are the equivalent of taking 4,400 cars off the road for a year.
The LEDs range from five to 17 watts and can reduce energy usage by up to 85 percent compared to incandescent bulbs.
The Neighborhood Program – which includes numerous energy efficiency, demand response, distributed generation and other initiatives – has reduced peak demand by 54 megawatts through these non-traditional solutions.
Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $12 billion in annual revenues and $55 billion in assets. The utility delivers electricity, natural gas and steam to 3.5 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, N.Y. For financial, operations and customer service information, visit www.conEd.com. For energy efficiency information, visit coned.com/energyefficiency Also, visit us on Twitter and Facebook.