The lighting industry is changing fast and currently LED light bulbs are the newest in lighting technology, using a fraction of electricity that old-fashioned light bulbs used to use, with a life expectancy of about 20 years.
To help customers make the transition, Empire Electric Association is offering to pay back customers 50 percent of the cost of a new LED light.
“They have come down in price a lot,” said Bobbe Jones, member services manager at Empire Electric Association, Inc.
In the past, LEDs have been expensive, but their cost is dropping. A typical household bulb could cost about $6.
“They have come down a lot,” Jones said. “Now you can get them very reasonably.”
In addition, the quality of the light has improved, Jones said.
“They are good lights, and they have really improved over the years,” she said.
In 2014, Empire Electric paid out $6,234 to area residents who participated in the LED Lamp Rebate Program, for a total of 822 light bulbs.
“We’ve had a lot of people participate,” Jones said.
Homeowners who wish to upgrade to LED lights must fill out a rebate application sheet, available at Empire Electric headquarters, and keep the receipt and packaging. Empire Electric pays 50 percent of the cost of each bulb, up to $10 per bulb with a maximum of 50 bulb rebates per member, per year. The LED bulbs must also have a lumen output of 300 or greater.
Wendell Fry, of Empire Electric, said when you are purchase LEDs, be sure to check the lumen and the temperature of the bulb. Each bulb has a chart on the package that will give you this information and rate if the light color output from cool to warm.
Fry said that most homeowners want the warmer lighting, but hospitals and commercial buildings usually go with the cooler-colored light.
“Make sure you like the color, because they last 20 years,” Fry said.
Tri-State Power Company, which provide Empire Electric with mostly coal power, issues the rebates to Empire Electric.
LEDs use less power than compact florescent lights and they electric company also collects the bulbs at its headquarters because they can’t be thrown away.
Fry said the power company wants to make sure its power users are being as efficient as possible and the rebate is a good incentive.
In addition, Empire Electric offers rebates to local businesses that switch over to the energy saving bulbs. Last year, three commercial businesses participated in the program and Empire issued those businesses $5,111 in rebates.
City Market was one of the first local companies to take advantage of the LED lights. The lights are inside the refrigerator cases and are even attached to sensors, so that they only turn on when someone is nearby.
The Montezuma County Fairgrounds recently participated in the program, in addition to P&D Grocery in Mancos.
When a business is looking to update their lighting, the rebate amount will be determined by what the existing lights are and what they’re going to be replaced with.
Empire Electric asks businesses to follow these steps:
Call to have a pre-construction visit. Empire Electric will come out and look at what is to be removed and what they are proposing to install. They will also get a count of the fixtures and lamps before changes are made. The rebate amount is determined by how many watts are removed from the system.
Next the business owner makes the changes. Businesses get a copy of a spreadsheet that they can fill out to see an estimate of what their rebate may be. This is just an estimate, the final number may be higher or lower than the number given at this stage.
The business owner needs to keep a copy of the invoice and the cut-sheets for the fixtures/lamps installed.
Call back upon conclusion. An Empire employee will come out, verify the completion and the actual installations and number count of what’s been installed.
A copy of the spreadsheet, invoice, and cut-sheets are submitted to Tri-State. Approval and amount is given; or changes made to applications are reported. If approved, a check is sent to the member/business owner.
Business owners will receive $250 per kilowatt saved and 50 percent of the lamp material cost. Business projects are capped at $20,000