Light bulb program will raise schools funds

By Mike Marino
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFL’s, help reduce energy costs in homes and in business. In this age of skyrocketing energy bills and high gas prices, Americans are looking for more ways to go green and to save green.

Continental Divide Electric Co-op is looking for schools who want to participate in their second annual Project CFL school fund-raiser during the month of October. Last year 13 co-op service area schools participated in the project and earned a total of $6,300 for their various school related projects. The schools sell the bulbs for $3.50 each and they earn $2- from each sale, $1 from the consumer and $1 from the co-op.

CDEC’s Community Relations Director, Mac Juarez feels there is more environmental awareness today than ever before. “Last year’s program was very successful, especially for our first one, and now more people and even the politicians are aware of global warming, climate changes and other environmental issues, so there is more interest in doing there part and to save money at the same time,” he said.

The fluorescent bulbs help increase energy efficiency and have a longer life than standard incandescent bulbs. “The average life span of a CFL is around seven to nine years depending on usage, so the initial higher cost per bulb more than pays for itself in the long run and they don’t use the amount of energy consumed by the other type bulbs,” Juarez said.

During last year’s Project CFL, the CDEC sold the 60-watt equivalent bulbs and the plan being discussed this year is the possibility of making the 100-watt equivalent bulbs available although that is still in the planning stages. Consumers benefit through long term savings on electric bills, because the lower wattage CFL’s are designed to save about $30 in electricity throughout the life of the bulb. It also helps the CDEC because it decreases the kilowatt hours of energy consumed which will lower the co-op’s demand costs for power.

Project CFL for the schools does not require any up-front purchase on the part of the schools as all orders are based on pre-sales by the students.

“We get them all set up with a sales kit and turn them loose,” Juarez said. “Money has to be collected at the time of sale and when the orders are finally turned in the co-op delivers the bulbs to the school.” At that point it is up to the school and the students to make sure the bulbs are delivered to the customer.

Contact Mac Juarez at Continental Divide Electric for more information at (505) 285-6656 or e-mail him at mjuarez@7cities.net