1. 1
Lutron—press
release
For
Immediate
Release
Households
Still
Wasting
Electricity
New
Bulbs
Only
Part
of
the
Solution:
Survey
Calls
for
Light
Control
Devices
(Washington,
DC)
February
3,
2014—A
month
after
the
final
phase-­‐out
of
incandescent
light
bulbs,
it
is
tempting
to
conclude
that
Americans
are
wasting
less
energy
lighting
their
homes.
However,
even
the
most
energy
efficient
light
bulbs
do
little
good
if
they
are
left
on
all
the
time.
A
survey
conducted
a
month
ago
by
Lutron
Electronics,
the
company
that
invented
the
first
lighting
control
devices,
indicates
that
47
percent
of
Americans
consider
leaving
lights
on
in
an
empty
room
to
be
the
biggest
waste
of
electricity
in
their
house.
The
same
survey
showed
that
nine
out
of
10
Americans
say
family
members
routinely
fail
to
turn
the
lights
off
when
they
leave
a
room.
The
EPA
estimates
that
lighting
makes
up
12
percent
of
a
household’s
energy
bill.
Given
that
energy
costs
constitutes
9
percent
of
after-­‐tax
income
for
the
median
household,
it
is
no
wonder
that
Americans
are
concerned
about
energy
wasted
on
lit
rooms
that
are
empty.
While
it
may
take
time
for
people
to
change
their
habit
of
leaving
lights
on
after
they
leave
the
room,
there
are
devices
every
household
can
implement
to
cut
back
on
wasted
lighting.
For
example,
some
sensors
detect
motion
or
activity
in
a
room
and
turn
lights
on
or
off
accordingly.
There
are
also
sensors
that
can
sense
daylight
so
that
lights
are
turned
on
only
when
there
is
insufficient
light.
Although
such
devices
may
require
an
initial
investment
of

2. 2
anywhere
from
$15
to
$50,
some
sources
indicate
that
the
initial
outlay
could
be
recouped
in
short
order.
Best
of
all,
some,
like
the
Maestro
Occupancy
Sensing
Switch,
can
be
installed
in
a
few
minutes
using
a
screwdriver—no
electrician
required.
It
may
be
tempting
to
rush
out
and
buy
a
light
control
device
for
every
light
switch
in
the
house,
but
there
are
other
factors
to
consider.
For
instance,
as
incandescent
light
bulbs
have
been
phased
out
and
many
households
are
now
switching
over
to
halogen
bulbs,
Compact
Fluorescent
Lamps
(CFLs)
or
Light
Emitting
Diodes
(LEDs),
they
should
be
aware
that
not
all
light
sensors
work
with
the
new
bulb
technologies.
So
before
investing
in
light
control
devices,
households
should
ensure
that
any
new
sensors
they
install
are
compatible
with
the
bulbs
they
will
be
using.
It
may
also
be
worthwhile
for
households
to
conduct
an
energy
audit
and
determine
which
rooms
are
most
in
need
of
light
control
devices,
as
well
as
what
kinds
of
devices
would
be
most
suitable
in
those
rooms.
“Energy
efficient
light
bulbs
can
help
save
electricity
and
bring
down
energy
bills,
but
keeping
lights
off
when
they
are
not
needed
can
further
address
the
real
cause
of
energy
inefficiencies
in
residential
lighting,”
says
Dr.
Matthew
Light,
Lutron’s
energy
expert.
###
About
Lutron
Electronics
(www.lutron.com)
Founded
in
1961,
Lutron
Electronics
is
headquartered
in
Coopersburg,
Pennsylvania,
in
the
heart
of
the
Lehigh
Valley.
From
dimmers
for
the
home,
to
lighting
management
systems
for
entire
buildings,
the
company
offers
more
than
17,000
energy-­‐saving
products
that
are
sold
in

3. 3
more
than
100
countries
around
the
world.
In
the
U.S.
alone,
Lutron
products
save
an
estimated
10
billion
kWh
of
electricity,
or
approximately
$1
billion
in
utility
costs,
per
year.
The
company’s
early
inventions—including
the
first
solid-­‐state
dimmer
invented
by
Lutron’s
founder,
Joel
Spira—are
now
at
the
Smithsonian’s
National
Museum
of
American
History
in
Washington,
DC.