'Tis the Season to Be Efficient Using Southern California Edison's Energy-Saving Tips

November 24, 2008 10:10 AM EST

ROSEMEAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Everyone is trying to save money in this tough economy - especially with the holidays approaching - and Southern California Edison (SCE) offers ways to help its customers save energy, which can lead to savings on their bills.

"People are unaware of how much energy they're wasting," said Lynda Ziegler, SCE senior vice president, Customer Service. "The little things add up -- home electronics with internal clocks still consume power when they're on standby mode, and chargers use energy whenever they are plugged into an outlet. When you add regular incandescent holiday lights to the mix, your electric bill can really start to go up. We want people to understand that there are easy ways they can conserve, such as plugging devices into a power strip that can be turned off when they're not being used."

SCE urges its residential and business customers to keep these tips in mind this holiday season. These helpful hints are located at www.sce.com/tips.

    --  Remember that every appliance or electronic device has two price tags:
        what you pay to take it home and what you pay for the energy it uses.
        Look for items with the ENERGY STAR label, because they use up to 50
        percent less energy than standard models, and the savings will show up
        in lower bills.
    --  Beginning Feb. 17, 2009, the nation will shift to digital-only
        television broadcasts. Those with analog TV sets who do not subscribe to
        cable or satellite services will need a digital-to-analog converter box,
        or DTA, in order to continue receiving television broadcasts. DTA
        converter boxes that have earned the ENERGY STAR label use less energy
        and automatically power down after four hours or less of user
        inactivity.
    --  Consumer electric products are responsible for approximately 15 percent
        of household electricity use. Devices still use energy when they're
        switched off to power features such as clock displays and remote
        controls - in fact, the average U.S. household spends $100 each year to
        power devices while they are in "standby" mode. Products that have
        earned the ENERGY STAR label use less energy to perform these functions,
        while providing the same performance and features as conventional
        models.
    --  Add holiday cheer with strings of light-emitting diode (LED) lights
        instead of incandescent, painted or ceramic-coated lights. LED light
        strings may be a little more expensive than their traditional
        counterparts, but they use about 2 percent of the energy, and
        practically pay for themselves in the first year of use. LEDs are also
        environmentally friendly: The low electricity usage of LEDs means fewer
        carbon emissions; they require no glass; they do not have a filament
        like incandescent bulbs, nor do the bulbs contain mercury or lead.
        Additionally, LEDs last up to 20 times longer than incandescent holiday
        light strings.
    --  Customers may also consider switching to online billing, which saves
        paper, money and time. Sign up at www.sce.com/paperless.

From everyone at SCE, we wish our customers a safe, happy and environmentally friendly holiday season.

About Southern California Edison

An Edison International (NYSE: EIX) company, Southern California Edison is the largest electric utility in California, serving a population of more than 13 million via 4.8 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

    Source: Southern California Edison

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