Online Calculators Instantly Show Lighting Savings
8.8 Million CFLs Sold Under Popular APS Programs

December 2, 2009

Before you put up the same holiday lights you did last year or buy new ones, spending a few moments with new online tools can give you a lot to celebrate now - and long after the holidays are over.

With the holiday season upon us, the new APS Holiday Light Calculator at www.aps.com/LED can show you in a few seconds that new light-emitting diode (LED) holiday lights provide vibrant colors and use as little as 10 percent of the energy compared to the standard incandescent holiday lights.

"The LED holiday lights last much longer than standard lights, they are much cooler to the touch, and they can be conveniently strung in longer strands since they use so little energy," said Tom Hines, APS residential program manager. "Depending on how many strands you use, the savings can really add up. For a family who uses just five 100-bulb strands of the large traditional style bulbs for five hours a day, switching to LED lights can save an astonishing $40 per month, so the new lights pay for themselves in just a few short weeks of energy savings."

Just how much you'll save will be given to you easily and quickly with a few clicks of the mouse on the calculator site. "The calculator is quick, easy and free to use," said Hines.

But, even after the holidays are over, the lighting savings can continue. While LED lighting technology continues to advance rapidly, the best bet for saving on general household lighting is by switching to ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). These bulbs produce the same amount of light as an old fashioned incandescent bulb while saving about 75 percent on energy costs. So APS has introduced another easy-to-use lighting calculator to help customers find out how much they can save by switching to CFLs.

The calculator allows a 'walk-through' of each room in the home, and recommends which type of CFL is best for each room and fixture. "As you go, the calculator adds up your savings, and you can print a handy CFL shopping list to make it easy to find the bulbs you need at the store, or online from aps.com," said Hines. That calculator can be found at www.aps.com/MyCFL.

Since 2005, APS has been working with lighting manufacturers and local retailers to offer discounts on the purchase of energy efficient CFLs. Through the program, CFLs are sold at discounted prices of less than $1 for a standard twist CFL. Over the expected five year life of each CFL, customers will see savings of about $40 in energy costs.

Since the program kicked off in October 2005, APS has provided discounts on more than 8.8 million CFLs sold through participating retailers. These bulbs are expected to save APS customers more than $350 million in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulbs.

The APS Energy Efficient Lighting program is paid for by APS customers and approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

For more information about energy savings programs and rebates available from APS and to try the new APS lighting calculators, go to aps.com.

APS, Arizona's largest and longest-serving electricity utility, serves about 1.1 million customers in 11 of the state's 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).

Maria Arellano, Media Contact
(602) 250-3155