Another Successful LED Holiday Light Exchange Program Wraps Up

Nova Scotians will save energy and money this holiday season after exchanging about 15,000 sets of incandescent holiday lights for energy efficient light emitting diode (LED) lights.

Thanks to Conserve Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Power, more than 7,475 sets of LED holiday lights were exchanged at 41 tree lighting ceremonies throughout the province.

"It's great to see so many Nova Scotians come together over the holiday season and make energy efficiency part of their celebrations," said Richard Hurlburt, Minister responsible for Conserve Nova Scotia. "This is just one more step towards reaching our goal of having one of the cleanest and most sustainable environments in the world by 2020."

"We're very pleased and encouraged by the tremendous response this year. Our customers are very interested in ways they can become more energy efficient and this program is a great way to promote the benefits of LEDs," said Alan Richardson, vice-president of commercial for Nova Scotia Power. "More than 100 Nova Scotia Power and Conserve Nova Scotia volunteers worked with more than 120 volunteers from the communities, towns, municipalities and partner organizations to co-ordinate the light exchanges."

Program participants exchanged two sets of traditional incandescent lights for one set of LED lights. Since the program was launched in 2005, more than 36,000 sets of old lights have been exchanged for energy-efficient LED holiday lighting.

To date, Nova Scotians have saved more than 900,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, or enough electricity to power 100 homes for a year. Greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by about 800 tonnes, or the equivalent of removing 175 cars from the road.

The 12,000 pounds of incandescent holiday lights will be recycled by the Directions Council for Vocational Services Society, a not-for-profit organization that supports citizens with disabilities through its 28 member agencies throughout Nova Scotia.

One-hundred LED holiday lights use the same amount of energy as one traditional holiday light bulb and last 10 times longer. They produce very little heat, contain no glass, are durable and safe.

Nova Scotia Power has been producing and delivering electricity to Nova Scotians for more than 80 years. Today, Nova Scotia Power's more than 1,600 employees are responsible for supplying more than 97 per cent of the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical power to 480,000 customers in the province. Nova Scotia Power is the largest wholly owned subsidiary of its parent company, Emera Inc.

Under the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act, Nova Scotia has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to at least 10 per cent below 1990 levels.