To the editor,

If every American homeowner replaced just a single light bulb or fixture with an Energy Star option, every year America would:

– Save enough energy to light more than three million homes,

– Save more than $600 million in energy costs, and

– Prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

At Rebuilding Together Alexandria, a local nonprofit that provides free home repairs to those in need, were doing our best to serve our community and energize Alexandria by making energy efficient upgrades at our clients homes. During our city-wide spring and fall home repair projects, hundreds of Rebuilding Together Alexandria volunteers have replaced traditional incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving CFLs, installed programmable thermostats, insulated attics and caulked and weather-stripped doors and windows. Some of our clients have reported saving 30 percent on their utility bills with the improvements made by our volunteers. By replacing old appliances with newer models, a homeowner can save 15-25 percent on their bills and reduce energy usage by more than 45 percent simply by replacing an old refrigerator with an Energy Star model.

Rebuilding Together Alexandria is thankful for the support we receive from local utility companies for our energy efficient projects.

Lets all do our part. Replace just one light bulb in your own home today.

Katharine Medina
Executive Director
Rebuilding Together Alexandria