MDC and Genesis partner to bring 10,000 free LED bulbs to Masterton
Ten councils across New Zealand, including Masterton, have joined forces with Genesis to help more Kiwi households reduce their power bills, as The Great Lightbulb Switch prepares to begin distributing a further 100,000 free LED lightbulbs nationwide from November, 10,000 of these for Masterton.
Building on the success of a community pilot in Te Kūiti, Genesis is taking the initiative to more regions across New Zealand, helping households access energy-efficient lighting while building support for its petition to phase out inefficient incandescent lightbulbs.
More than 10,000 free LED lightbulbs were distributed to households across Te Kūiti during the pilot, helping the community save an estimated $3 million in household power bills over the lifetime of the bulbs. For households that collected the maximum allocation of 15 bulbs, that's a saving of up to $25 per month on their electricity bills.[1]
Genesis Chief Revenue Officer Stephen England-Hall says the pilot has shown that making homes more energy efficient doesn't have to be expensive or complicated.
"The Te Kūiti pilot showed just how much difference a simple change like switching to LED lighting can make. Households can save up to $300 a year on their power bills by replacing 15 inefficient bulbs, while also helping reduce demand on New Zealand's electricity system."
Following the success of the pilot, Genesis is expanding The Great Lightbulb Switch to communities nationwide. The 10 participating councils will help bring the initiative to local households, with distribution beginning in November and further information about how to access the free bulbs to be shared locally.
England-Hall says partnerships with councils will be key to making the next phase accessible to communities.
"The response from councils has been incredibly encouraging. Te Kūiti showed us what can happen when a community gets behind a simple idea, and we're excited to work with more councils to help Kiwi households make meaningful savings on their power bills."
"While we're helping more communities make the switch to LED lighting, we're also encouraging New Zealanders to back our petition to phase out inefficient incandescent lightbulbs. We've seen the benefits in Te Kūiti, and we'd like to see households right across the country enjoy those same savings."
Masterton District Council Environment Lead Kylie Robinson said she was pleased to be able to offer a giveaway that would help local households reduce their power costs.
“We know things are getting pretty expensive at the moment, so any opportunity to support our community is great. We're pleased to be partnering with Genesis Energy on this initiative and look forward to seeing it rolled out across our district.”
Rollout begins from Monday 9 November, and can be picked up from 161 Queen Street Customer Service Centre, or the temporary library space on Chapel Street.
All FAQ's and info can be found on the Genesis website.
