March 19, 2024

SMECO Marks Three-Million-Bulb Milestone

SMECO Marks Three-Million-Bulb Milestone

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative has hit a milestone. The co-op has announced that residential customer-members have bought three million ENERGY STAR bulbs since 2010. This milestone means that more than 128,000 megawatt-hours have been saved. This level of energy savings is the equivalent of taking more than 19,000 vehicles off the road for a year, or getting rid of the carbon dioxide emissions of more than 10 million gallons of gasoline consumed.

The SMECO Lighting Program gives customers an incentive to replace incandescent bulbs with energy-saving lighting by offering in-store discounts of up to $7 per bulb at local retailers that participate in the program. These ENERGY STAR bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, according to the US Department of Energy. Since they require less energy to produce the same light, the bulbs help protect the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Plus, they save money on energy costs.

“LED technology has advanced rapidly and ENERGY STAR bulbs are now more affordable for SMECO customer-members, especially when they take advantage of instant discounts,” said Jennifer Raley, Energy and Technology Programs Manager, Demand Side Management for SMECO. “This three-million-bulb milestone confirms our commitment to helping Southern Maryland residents save energy and money.”

These lighting discounts are only one way SMECO has found to help its customers reduce energy usage, an effort being made in support of the EmPOWER Maryland goal to reduce energy consumption. Ms. Raley added, “SMECO offers programs to businesses and commercial facilities, as well as rebates on heat pumps and other household appliances. Improving energy efficiency is an effective way to reduce energy costs.”

More information on the SMECO Lighting Program, as well as other programs designed to save energy and money, is available on SMECO’s website.

To learn more about SMECO, please visit its Leader member page.

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