PECO To Power Down Iconic Crown Lights For Earth Hour, Encourages Energy Audits

PECO will power down its iconic LED Crown Lights system for Earth Hour 2017 on March 25 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Earth Hour is the world’s largest annual voluntary environmental action event to raise awareness about climate change.

Prior to “going dark” a special message will appear from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on the lights atop the company’s Main Office Building at 2301 Market Street in Philadelphia.

In addition to turning off nonessential lights during Earth Hour, PECO customers can take a number of steps to save energy and money and the environment year-round with PECO Smart Ideas, including:

-- Schedule an energy assessment or audit at peco.com/smartideas. An energy efficiency expert will evaluate insulation, heating and air cooling systems, lighting, appliances and more;

-- Use a programmable thermostat;

-- Caulk and weather strip windows and doors;

-- Turn lights off when you leave a room;

-- Close blinds/shades/drapes in the summer and leave them open in the winter; and

-- Use energy-efficient appliances: When shopping for appliances such as refrigerators, look for the EnergyStar label, and purchase the most affordable energy efficient unit.

Before customers turn their lights back on this Earth Hour, they should take a moment to replace energy-wasting incandescent light bulbs with new LED lightbulbs, which typically use 75-90 percent less energy and last about 25 times longer.

PECO provides discounts for energy-efficient bulbs, which can be found at hundreds of local retail stores.

For more information, visit the PECO Smart Ideas webpage.