WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman takes the “Change a Light” pledge at the Department of Energy (DOE), challenging 120,000 DOE employees and all Americans to replace at least one traditional light bulb with an energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb at home.

“The Department of Energy encourages all Department employees and all Americans to answer the President’s call to be more energy efficient,” Secretary Bodman said.  “Taking small and easy steps, such as replacing light bulbs with newer, more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, can add up to real, substantive savings.”

If every household in America changed one bulb to a CFL, combined efforts would save 5.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year or $526 million a year in electric expenses.  If everyone at the Department changed one light bulb, it would save enough energy to light 3,065 homes for a year, would reduce carbon dioxide emissions equal to removing 886 cars from our parking lots, and would have the same effect as planting 1,260 acres of trees.  To take the pledge, and for more information, visit:  http://www.energy.gov/pledge.htm.

The “Change a Light” campaign runs from October 4 - November 30.

For the past seven years, DOE and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “Change-a-Light, Change-the-World” program has encouraged consumers to save energy and money by installing compact fluorescent light bulbs.  In addition to internal campaign promotional efforts, DOE and EPA have reached out to Members of Congress, Governors and state energy and local officials to join the campaign by encouraging their constituents to participate.