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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007              
CONTACT: Leah Mohr, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, (605) 773-3201

South Dakota ranks high in sales of
energy-saving light bulbs

PIERRE, S.D. – A new Web site shows South Dakota is among the leading states for sales of energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). The site, 18seconds.org, ranks South Dakota sixth in the nation with 78,639 CFLs sold in the state since Jan. 1, 2007.*

"This ranking is very encouraging," said Public Utilities Commission Chairman Dusty Johnson. "It indicates South Dakotans are realizing the full benefits of CFLs. It takes a small commitment — just 18 seconds of a person's time — to swap a regular incandescent light bulb with an energy-saving CFL, but the energy and cost savings are enormous," he concluded.

On average, an incandescent bulb costs $0.40 and has a lifetime of about eight months. A CFL costs $2.60 and will last around seven years. CFLs use at least two-thirds less energy than a regular incandescent bulb.

"One CFL saves $40 in electricity over its lifetime and keeps 223 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into our atmosphere. The 78,600 South Dakota CFLs will keep more than 17.7 million pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere," explained PUC Vice Chairman Gary Hanson. "CFLs make tremendous sense both economically and environmentally," he said.

"The PUC has been an active proponent of the use of CFLs for some time," said

Commissioner Steve Kolbeck. "We joined the national Change a Light campaign last year and have been gathering support from South Dakotans who have pledged to install CFLs in their homes. So far, we have exceeded our pledge goal by 24 percent," he said.

Go to www.puc.sd.gov and click on the "South Dakota Change-a-Light Pledge" link to register a pledge.

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MEDIA NOTE: *This data was current as of Feb. 26, 2007. Please visit www.18seconds.org and click on South Dakota to verify the number before publication or contact Leah Mohr with the PUC at (605) 773-3201 for updated data.