light bulbs, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions at levels equivalent to taking 400,000 cars off the road.
Southern California Edison is encouraging people to switch off only non-essential lighting, such as lights in houses and office buildings. Edison is not asking authorities to turn off streetlights or any power necessary to keeping communities and its residents safe.
Edison is helping customers switch to fluorescent lights by reducing the price of such light bulbs at the retail level. The company provides a rebate to manufacturers and major retailers who pass along the discount to customers by reducing the retail price equivalent to the amount of the rebate — from $1 to $2.50 per bulb.
In addition to turning off the lights, organizers of the event are asking people to pay closer attention to appliances. Many appliances today suck power from the grid even when they are not in use, something commonly referred to as “phantom loads.”
A phantom load is essentially the power that is being used by an appliance that is not in use, but is resting at the ready. Toasters do this, as do computers and televisions.
“If you look at modern homes, there are so many things that consume power that didn’t use to before and this has a cumulative affect,” said Mark Olson, a spokesman for Southern California Edison. “Most homes have multiple TVs, multiple computers, home security systems, garage door openers, gate openers, cell phones recharging.”
One appliance that sucks a lot of juice is the plasma television. As more people upgrade their home entertainment systems, more plasma televisions are being sold, which means more power is being wasted because plasmas use almost as much power when they are turned off as they do when they are on, Olson said.
To help, Olson said Edison has been targeting small businesses and restaurants, offering free energy audits to see where power can be saved. There are rebates available for new equipment.
“If you have kids, as well, it is good to start teaching them early about conservation because it really comes down to habit,” Olson said. “By making people more aware, they may not leave that light on when they leave a room.”
City Hall is also offering homeowners a similar audit, said Stuart Cooley, an energy efficiency engineer.
“Home lighting is our biggest challenge in terms of electricity usage,” Cooley said. “We don’t have a huge air-conditioning load. Those who are using their air-conditioning are probably missing out on opportunities to improve air flow by using fans or just opening windows.”
In efforts to get the word out, the county and city of Los Angeles have been broadcasting public service announcements on public access channels and on the radio. Several newspapers and other media outlets have also picked up on the story.
Still, there are plenty of people who are not aware of Lights Out.
Lisa Grine said she “had no idea” that Lights Out was happening, but after a reporter made her aware of the event, she said she was willing to go dark Saturday night.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea and something that I will consider doing more often, maybe make it a weekly thing at my house.”
Grine is thinking of lighting some candles and playing board games with her husband and two children. They may also play cards or charades to pass the time.
“It’s kind of like you’re camping out in a way,” she said. “You kind of leave the luxuries of home and find other ways to entertain yourself besides watching TV or playing video games. God knows we do enough of that.”
Lights Out America is already in the works. Organizers said the event will take place on March 29, so if anyone misses out on this Saturday’s event, they’ll have another shot in the dark.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 20, 2007. Read the original PDF.