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Con Edison Media Relations
For Immediate Release: December 4, 2007
3:45 PM

TURN ON HOLIDAY GREEN

Con Edison Advises Customers to Use Energy Efficient Lights

NEW YORK – Con Edison wishes all its customers a happy and safe holiday season, and is recommending customers to use energy-efficient LED (light emitting diode) holiday lights when decorating their homes.

“No matter what traditions you keep or holidays you celebrate, lighting is integral to every culture,” said Marilyn Caselli, Con Edison’s senior vice president of Customer Operations, “This year, we are urging our customers to make the holidays a time to become more environmentally friendly. Decorating your home with LEDs is a safe, durable, and efficient alternative. By using LEDs instead of traditional incandescent bulbs you can save on your electric bill and contribute to greening the environment.”

LEDs have many advantages over traditional incandescent light bulbs. They use up to 98 percent less electricity than older bulbs, and trimming electricity means lower/fewer carbon emissions.

Decorations for the holiday season have become more elaborate, and consumers should make safety their number one priority by following these basic safety tips:

Make sure that holiday lights carry the seal of approval of a recognized safety-testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

Carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions and safety precautions when installing lights or assembling displays.

Before reusing electrical devices kept in storage, inspect for worn or frayed areas and breaks or brittleness, particularly at the plugs and connections. Replace defective lights and cords. Throw out any frayed wires or extension cords.

To avoid electric overloads, use extension cords sparingly.

Outdoor displays require outdoor, exterior-rated extension cords, fixtures, and bulbs.

Avoid running cords under rugs, through doorways, or near furniture where they may be stepped on, tripped over, or broken.

Do not place cords around or near metal pipes, appliances, or anything that is damp or metallic. Turn off electrical devices when making adjustments.

Always have a responsible adult present when lighting or electrical displays are turned on and in use.

Install or adjust outdoor electrical displays only during dry weather.

For more safety tips, visit http://www.coned.com/customercentral/safetytip.asp.

Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $12 billion in annual revenues and $28 billion in assets. The utility provides electric, gas, and steam service to more than 3 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York. For additional financial, operations and customer service information, visit Con Edison’s Web site at www.conEd.com.

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