Xcel Energy launches ‘Lights Out Lunch’ event

Governor’s Energy Office, Denver partner to drive energy conservation awareness

DENVER -- Xcel Energy today announced a statewide, one-day event – Lights Out Lunch -- to emphasize the importance of energy efficiency and to get the public to think about energy conservation in a whole new light.

“We are working hard to help customers use energy as efficiently as possible, not only to help keep their bills low but also to reduce our overall environmental impact,” said Tim E. Taylor, president and CEO, Public Service Company of Colorado, an Xcel Energy company. “The Lights Out Lunch program was developed to raise awareness among consumers and businesses about small, easy actions they can take that collectively can have a large impact -- like turning off unnecessary lights and using compact fluorescent light bulbs.”

The Lights Out Lunch is a statewide program that happens Dec. 11, 2009. Anyone can participate in the program by simply shutting off their lights from Noon to 1 p.m. to conserve energy. Restaurants are signing up through the Colorado Restaurant Association to turn off their lights and are providing exclusive offers/discounts to the public who sign up and download coupons from www.LightsOutLunch.com.

“Changing the way we use energy will protect the air we breathe and preserve Colorado’s natural wonders for generations to come,” said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. Through Greenprint Denver and our city’s commitment to sustainability and energy conservation, we are embracing the use of solar energy and providing services and incentives to help homeowners and businesses reduce energy use and save money on their utility bills. The Lights Out Lunch provides another opportunity for us to support community-wide energy savings.”

“Xcel Energy is an important partner in our New Energy Economy” said Gov. Bill Ritter. “Innovative programs like Lights Out Lunch demonstrate how Xcel Energy is contributing to our overall vision of promoting smart and affordable energy use for homeowners and businesses.”

FACTS ABOUT LIGHTS OUT LUNCH

· Lights Out Lunch, sponsored by Xcel Energy, is a simple concept – turn off the lights to emphasize the importance of energy efficiency from 12:00 (Noon) to 1:00 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2009.

· Whether you’re at home, dining out or at your workplace – wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, take a small step toward conserving energy by safely shutting off the lights for one hour. Sign up at www.LightsOutLunch.com.

· The Lights Out Lunch event hopes to motivate customers to purchase compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs by offering discounted bulbs for as little as $1 at participating retailers for limited time periods. Customers can find participating retail locations and sale time periods at responsiblebynature.com/brightidea.

· Lights Out Lunch endeavors to build awareness that CFLs need to be recycled after use. CFL recycling is free of charge at Ace Hardware and The Home Depot.

· Lights Out Lunch is the collaboration between Xcel Energy, the Governor’s Energy Office and the City and County of Denver. Tim E. Taylor, president and CEO, Public Service Company of Colorado; Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper; and Paul Stastny from the Colorado Avalanche kicked off the event on Monday, Nov. 9 at Palettes in the Denver Art Museum.

· Prominent athletes Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets) and Paul Stastny (Colorado Avalanche) have endorsed the program and will play a significant role in educating the public about energy savings.

· You can follow Lights Out Lunch on Twitter @lightsoutlunch or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/xcelenergyco, to see more facts and great deals from participating restaurants.

FACTS ABOUT CFLs/ENERGY SAVINGS

· Customers can save, on average, $5 per bulb per year, by replacing on incandescent bulb with a CFL.

· The most frequently used lights in a home include kitchen lights, living room table and floor lamps, bathroom vanity lights and outdoor porch or post lamps.

· Turning off the lights when you leave a room and/or taking advantage of natural light will save you energy and money on your electric bill.

· ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy than typical incandescent light bulbs and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

· If 110 million American households or business owners replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people.

· If every household in Colorado replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL bulb, we could save up to 95 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and reduce electric bills by $8.8 million a year.

To learn more and to register for Lights Out Lunch, visit www.LightsOutLunch.com