FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2021
Washington, DC – Today, the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) joins hundreds of other organizations across the country in celebrating National Energy Efficiency Day, which occurs each year on first Wednesday in October. To mark the occasion, the DCSEU has teamed up with District of Columbia Public Schools to begin distributing efficient LED lighting kits at 25 Title I elementary schools across the District that will help families shrink their energy bills and their carbon footprint. During October and November, the DCSEU will distribute more than 6,000 LED lighting kits to elementary school students and their families here in the District.
“Switching to LED lighting is one of the simplest ways you can reduce your energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Ted Trabue, Managing Director of the DCSEU. “Showing students that there’s something simple and tangible that they can do make a positive impact on the environment as well as reduce energy costs for their families is a win-win.”
Low-income households face a particularly high energy burden in terms of the percentage of their income they spend on energy bills. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, on average, low-income households spend three times as much of their income on energy bills than non-low-income households. Reducing energy burden, even through simple changes like LED lighting, can free up money that can be spent on the things that matter most to families. These LED lighting kits will help families save up to $80 per year, provide good quality lighting for students at home, and will last up to 25 years (about 25 times longer than an incandescent bulb).
"We all play a role to reduce energy usage and help the environment and DCPS is proud to do our part. We appreciate the support of DCSEU to help ensure students have energy efficient lighting at home," said DCPS Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee.
Energy efficiency, the energy that is not used by either utilizing more efficient equipment or by changing behaviors to reduce consumption, remains the lowest-cost resource for energy. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), since 1990, savings from energy efficiency gains have averted the need to build 313 large power plants and has delivered cumulative savings of nearly $790 billion for Americans. Here in the District, the DCSEU has helped District residents and businesses generate more than $1.2 billion in lifetime energy cost savings and prevent more than 6.2 million metric tons of lifetime greenhouse gas emissions over the last ten years.