Brooksby residents enlightened over opportunity to save money on light bulbs

PEABODY – Brooksby Village residents saved themselves some money Tuesday, and while they were at it, they saved the city a whole lot of energy.For the second year in a row, Danvers-based OSRAM Sylvania and Lowe’s Home Improvement Centers held their Compact Fluorescent Sales Event in celebration of Energy Conservation Month. Over 1,500 compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) were sold to residents at a discounted price. Combined with last year’s sales, nearly 4,900 bulbs have been sold and are now used in place of standard incandescent bulbs.”It was a little smaller turnout than last year,” said Colleen Applebaugh, a representative from OSRAM Sylvania. “But, people who bought them last year didn’t have to come.” Applebaugh said that CFLs last for about seven years, up to 10 times longer than standard bulbs.The idea for the event came from Emerson Tucker, a retired engineer and member of the Resident Advisory Council at Brooksby Village.”We all have lights and lamps in our apartments,” Tucker said in a released statement. “So what better way to start lowering energy costs than in our own home.”After shopping around for the best deals, Tucker decided to work with OSRAM Sylvania and use their Energy Star rated bulbs.”We at Sylvania enjoy working directly with those in our communities,” said Bob Jordan, Sylvania business development manager. “When Brooksby Village asked us to help find a way to lower both their energy consumption and their utility bills, compact fluorescent lamps were the obvious choice, and we immediately began to piece together a special event to achieve that goal.”Sylvania Energy Star bulbs use 75 percent less energy. The more bulbs used, the more money and energy are saved. But, how exactly do these CFLs do it?Instead of using electricity to heat a filament, CFLs are filled with a gas that produces an invisible ultraviolet light once electricity comes into the picture. Once that UV light hits the white coating inside the bulb, the light changes into one that you can see.Since using the lights last year, Brooksby Village has saved approximately $35,000 in energy costs and 240,000 Kilowatt-hours. Sylvania plans to calculate savings after this year, which should ultimately be lower with more Energy Star bulbs beings used.”We’d be willing to do this for schools, etc.,” said Applebaugh. “It’s just such a great opportunity to save energy.”