The Provincial Government is partnering with Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro (Hydro) and Newfoundland Power Inc. to help Newfoundlanders and Labradorians become more energy efficient this holiday season.

Through Holiday Lightswitch, 10,000 sets of energy-efficient LED holiday lights will be distributed to residents in participating municipalities in exchange for traditional outdoor holiday lights. This exchange will reduce electricity consumption by up to 410,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually and reduce related greenhouse gas emissions approximately 315 metric tonnes each year.

"This campaign is a great way to kick off the countdown to the holidays while at the same time reminding people of the role we all need to play in reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions," said the Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Minister of Natural Resources. "Together we can raise awareness of the importance of wise energy-use decisions and encourage more people to make the switch to LEDs this holiday season."

Holiday Lightswitch events will be held in 17 municipalities across the province during various tree-lighting events. The Provincial Government is providing $150,000 to the program through the Energy Plan implementation budget. Residents will be able to exchange two sets of their traditional outdoor lights for two sets of 70 multi-coloured holiday LED lights. Participating municipalities responded to an open call to host the Holiday Lightswitch events. These municipalities will also be placing LED lights on their town's holiday tree in preparation for the tree lighting and exchange events.

"Holiday Lightswitch is aimed at assisting customers to make changes to become more energy efficient," said Earl Ludlow, president and chief executive officer of Newfoundland Power Inc. "The goal of this campaign is to remove up to 10,000 sets of outdoor traditional holiday lights throughout the province by exchanging them with energy-efficient LED lights to help customers conserve energy and save money on their electricity bills."

"I hope this campaign encourages consumers to do more to save energy over the holiday season and that people continue to look for other ways to conserve energy throughout the year," said Jim Haynes, Hydro's vice-president, Regulated Operations. "Energy conservation initiatives, such as Holiday Lightswitch, reflect a continued commitment to all electricity consumers in conserving energy and ultimately managing our resources."

"Energy-efficient LEDs typically use about 90 per cent less energy than traditional holiday lights, last up to 10 times longer, and are safe and durable," said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation. "In fact, 116 LED lights use the same energy as one incandescent bulb. This kind of technology not only reduces energy costs but will help tackle climate change on a local level. Since greenhouse gas emissions often relate to energy use, we are obliged to become more energy efficient and resource conscience. While there are financial benefits, we should take pride in the environmental benefits as well."

Holiday Lightswitch events begin across the province on Saturday, December 1 and continue through Friday, December 14. A complete list of participating municipalities and event information can be found at: www.holidaylightswitch.ca

Bright Ideas and HYDROWISE are Newfoundland Power's and Hydro's energy efficiency and conservation programs, respectively. These programs provide education and outreach to electricity consumers across the province, providing them with ways to conserve energy and save money on their energy bills.

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