Mid-Carolina Electric is one of 20 electric cooperatives in S.C. to send 2-free CFLs to members this year. From left to right are Mid-Carolina's Dwight Amick, Jan Bonnette and Emily Leaphart.

Do the Light Switch

In a creative bid to cut energy costs, South Carolina’s co-ops have launched a campaign called “Do the Light Switch” with a goal of placing some 7 million CFLs in the home of every co-op consumer-member family within 10 years.

Starting this week, and going through June, every co-op in the state will send each consumer member family two free CFLs in the mail. The mailings, on behalf of 20 participating co-ops, will take place in stages over a three-month period. The co-ops expect to distribute 1.2 million CFLs this year.

“Only two to four co-ops will have their bulbs mailed out around the same time to reduce stress on the Postal Service,” explained Van O'Cain, the statewide's director of public and member relations. “They won’t be receiving 1.2 million bulbs at one time.”

Saving energy is important to the electric cooperatives of South Carolina. Demand for electricity is growing as population increases. Without new power generation, demand could soon exceed supply and cause shortages. One solution is to encourage energy efficiency.

The mass distribution of CFLs is part of a broader set of initiatives by South Carolina co-ops designed to step up their involvement in renewable energy and energy-efficiency measures with record investment levels. The state’s co-ops plan to invest 1.1 percent of budgeted revenue, up to $10 million annually, in a variety of programs aimed at saving energy.

According to an independent study conducted for electric cooperatives, the number-one action South Carolinians could take to curb energy use is to replace standard lighting with energy-efficient lighting.

With CFLs using about 75 percent less energy than ordinary bulbs, studies revealed that if every household in South Carolina changed just one ordinary bulb to a CFL, that could save up to 83 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year—enough energy to light all the homes in the city of Columbia for a year.

“By distributing CFLs to our members, we’re making them part of the solution to challenges such as climate change and rising energy prices,” said Mike Couick, CEO of the South Carolina statewide association.

“Together, we can make a difference.”