Sainsbury's to give away 1m green light bulbs

Sainsbury's to give away 1m green light bulbs

A supermarket chain is to give away 1m energy-saving light bulbs this weekend.

On October 27, Sainsbury's will be giving away energy-saving light bulbs to customers who agree make an energy-saving pledge.

To claim a free Philips 11 watt bulb (equivalent to 60w incandescent light bulb), customers at 450 of its stores around the UK will be asked to choose from a variety of pledges ranging from switching to energy-saving lighting, taking reusable bags for shopping rather than use disposable bags, or drying clothes outdoors or hanging them up inside rather than using a tumble dryer.

Sainsbury's says that the 1m energy-saving light bulbs, which is the number the supermarket normally sells in a year, will save 40,000 tonnes of C02.

As a single energy saving light bulb uses 80% less energy than a traditional bulb and lasts around 10 times as long, it could save customers £7 a year, or around £50 in bills before it needs replacing, adds Sainsbury's.

Gwyn Burr, Sainsbury's customer director, says: "Using an energy-saving light bulb makes good financial and environmental sense for every household, it's less damaging and cuts bills."

In addition to the supermarket's £1m light bulb giveaway, it is also planning to reduce its energy use over the weekend. By turning down the heating and refrigeration in participating stores it says it will save 45t of C02 – equivalent to saving 100,000 kwh of electricity – enough.....continued below

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to power 22 households for a whole year.

A Sainsbury's spokeswoman said further reductions in energy use is being trialled at selected Sainsbury's stores to identify what further measures can be made to contribute to the company's goal of cutting its CO2 emissions by 25% by 2012.

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