Writing Sample_Press Release_Meei Child
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According to a survey by Lutron Electronics, 47% of Americans consider leaving lights on in empty rooms to be the biggest waste of electricity in their homes. While energy efficient light bulbs help reduce energy bills, light control devices can further address wasted lighting by automatically turning lights off when rooms are empty. Installing sensors that detect motion or daylight can help cut back on wasted lighting with an initial investment of $15-50 that may pay for itself quickly. However, households should ensure any new sensors will work with their bulbs like CFLs or LEDs before investing in light control devices for every room.
Writing Sample_Press Release_Meei Child
- 1. 1 Lutron—press release For Immediate Release Households Still Wasting Electricity New Bulbs Only Part of the Solution: Survey Calls for Light Control Devices (Washington, DC) February 3, 2014—A month after the final phase-‐out of incandescent light bulbs, it is tempting to conclude that Americans are wasting less energy lighting their homes. However, even the most energy efficient light bulbs do little good if they are left on all the time. A survey conducted a month ago by Lutron Electronics, the company that invented the first lighting control devices, indicates that 47 percent of Americans consider leaving lights on in an empty room to be the biggest waste of electricity in their house. The same survey showed that nine out of 10 Americans say family members routinely fail to turn the lights off when they leave a room. The EPA estimates that lighting makes up 12 percent of a household’s energy bill. Given that energy costs constitutes 9 percent of after-‐tax income for the median household, it is no wonder that Americans are concerned about energy wasted on lit rooms that are empty. While it may take time for people to change their habit of leaving lights on after they leave the room, there are devices every household can implement to cut back on wasted lighting. For example, some sensors detect motion or activity in a room and turn lights on or off accordingly. There are also sensors that can sense daylight so that lights are turned on only when there is insufficient light. Although such devices may require an initial investment of
- 2. 2 anywhere from $15 to $50, some sources indicate that the initial outlay could be recouped in short order. Best of all, some, like the Maestro Occupancy Sensing Switch, can be installed in a few minutes using a screwdriver—no electrician required. It may be tempting to rush out and buy a light control device for every light switch in the house, but there are other factors to consider. For instance, as incandescent light bulbs have been phased out and many households are now switching over to halogen bulbs, Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) or Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), they should be aware that not all light sensors work with the new bulb technologies. So before investing in light control devices, households should ensure that any new sensors they install are compatible with the bulbs they will be using. It may also be worthwhile for households to conduct an energy audit and determine which rooms are most in need of light control devices, as well as what kinds of devices would be most suitable in those rooms. “Energy efficient light bulbs can help save electricity and bring down energy bills, but keeping lights off when they are not needed can further address the real cause of energy inefficiencies in residential lighting,” says Dr. Matthew Light, Lutron’s energy expert. ### About Lutron Electronics (www.lutron.com) Founded in 1961, Lutron Electronics is headquartered in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the Lehigh Valley. From dimmers for the home, to lighting management systems for entire buildings, the company offers more than 17,000 energy-‐saving products that are sold in
- 3. 3 more than 100 countries around the world. In the U.S. alone, Lutron products save an estimated 10 billion kWh of electricity, or approximately $1 billion in utility costs, per year. The company’s early inventions—including the first solid-‐state dimmer invented by Lutron’s founder, Joel Spira—are now at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.