FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE........... October 5, 2006
Contact: Lara Schopp, (816) 513-3503           

KANSAS CITY PLANS “A MILLION LIGHTS” TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, SAVE MONEY

Kansas City is the first city in the nation to proclaim a goal of “A Million Lights” in the national ENERGY STAR® campaign to help consumers save money and keep air cleaner by switching out old light bulbs.

At a news conference today, Mayor Kay Barnes urged citizens, corporations, churches and schools to switch from standard incandescent light bulbs to the compact fluorescent lights encouraged by the annual Change a Light, Change the World campaign conducted in October by the federal government. The Mayor was joined by representatives from Kansas City Power & Light, Burns & McDonnell, the University of Missouri – Kansas City, the Power Partners (the National Electrical Contractors Association Kansas City Chapter and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 124), and the Environmental Protection Agency.

“In our region, switching a million lights will save citizens more than $20,000,000 in energy costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 440,000,000 pounds,” Mayor Barnes said. “For example, because a 60-watt equivalent compact fluorescent light consumes less energy and lasts 10 times longer, $30 can be saved in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb.”

The mayor demonstrated how easy it is to switch the standard pear-shaped bulb for the slim and squiggly compact fluorescent light in an office lamp, noting: “They look funny, but they save money!” Because the new lights last years longer, she said “Kansas City’s next mayor won’t have to change the light until his or her second term in office.”

The City will be an active participant in the campaign to change “A Million Lights” by identifying standard incandescent light bulbs in City buildings and changing them to compact fluorescent lights. As a part of the City’s energy conservation projects at Bartle Hall, the City Hall complex, and the Kansas City International Airport 2,500 compact fluorescent lights have already been installed.

Plans are in place to inventory the standard incandescent light bulbs in other City buildings and change them to compact fluorescent lights. Mayor Barnes will also ask the City’s 4,800 employees to switch at least one light at home for each of their family members.

In partnership with the City to achieve its goal of “A Million Lights,” the following announcements were made by attendees at the news conference at City Hall:

• Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) is offering a $2 rebate per qualified ENERGY STAR® light purchased at Missouri locations of Ace Hardware and HyVee grocery stores. Rebates are given at the register for up to six ENERGY STAR® lights per family through December 31, 2006. KCP&L will advertise its participation to customers in its Missouri service area and will assist in tracking response through the rebate program.  Mike Chesser, Chairman and CEO of Great Plains Energy, the holding company for KCP&L, said, “Lighting accounts for nearly 20 percent of the electricity we use at home.  Switching to energy-efficient compact fluorescent lighting is an easy step KCP&L customers can take to conserve our energy resources, protect our environment, and save money on their electric bill.”
  
  
• The University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC) announced plans to install 2,060 compact fluorescent lights at its campus, according to Chancellor Guy H. Bailey. The effort will commence in 2007 and is funded in part by an energy-saving grant of $1.3 million from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
  
  
• Burns & McDonnell will encourage its 1,800 metro-area employees to switch at least three lights by the end of the year. The company also will donate 2,000 bulbs to Kansas City, Missouri’s Neighborhood Improvement Program for distribution to lower income families. Burns & McDonnell encouraged other companies to join the corporate challenge and provide leadership. “A Million Lights” will save at least twenty million dollars, and it improves our environment. The Burns & McDonnell energy group plans to encourage all our clients to participate.”
  
  
• The Power Partners (the National Electrical Contractors Association Kansas City Chapter and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 124) will donate 10,000 compact fluorescent lights for lower income families and elderly fixed-income households in Kansas City to help them save money and participate in “A Million Lights.”

EPA Regional Administrator John B. Askew said, “I applaud Kansas City Mayor Barnes and the private sector partners for launching a major campaign of ‘A Million Lights,’ which will result in huge energy and environmental savings.”

Because the new ENERGY STAR® lights use two-thirds less energy than standard bulbs and last up to ten times longer, the City will reap benefits in air quality over many years, according to Joan

Steurer, Air Quality Planner for Mid-America Regional Council (MARC).  “This program can reduce greenhouse gases, emissions that form ground-level ozone and other health risks. We applaud Kansas City’s leadership.”  She said other utilities in the region are participating in the $2 rebate program as well.

Recommendations for ENERGY STAR® lighting in the home include areas where lights are typically left on for longer periods of time, such as kitchen ceiling lights, living room table  lamps, living room floor lamps, and outdoor porch lights. Manufacturers of the new lights have a variety of styles available to fit lamps, can lights, bathroom fixtures and ceiling fans.